# 8342
For years we’ve heard dire warnings of a future where most of our most important antibiotics are rendered impotent against drug resistant infections, and increasingly, those predictions are coming true. Last September the CDC issued a major threat report called Antibiotic resistance threats in the United States, 2013 that provided a snapshot of the effects of growing antibiotic resistance across the United States.
Among their (conservative) findings:
Each year in the United States, at least 2 million people become infected with bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics and at least 23,000 people die each year as a direct result of these infections. Many more people die from other conditions that were complicated by an antibiotic-resistant infection.
The rise of antibiotic resistance has long been linked to the overuse and misuse of antibiotics. A problem that is wide spread in many parts of the world where antibiotics are not well regulated, but also right here in the United States, where there remains a great variance in prescribing practices among physicians.
Last November, in AAP/CDC: New Guidance On For Antibiotics For Children, we saw guidelines issued – in part – due to the geographic disparity in the amount of antibiotics being prescribed across this country, with doctors some regions much quicker write ABx scripts than doctors in other areas (see map below).
Tp address this growing problem, tomorrow (March 4th) the CDC will hold a Telebriefing on Antibiotic prescribing practices (details below).
CDC Telebriefing: New Vital Signs Report - Are Prescribing Practices Putting Hospital Patients at Risk?
What
Poor antibiotic-prescribing practices in hospitals can needlessly put patients at risk for Clostridium difficile infection (deadly diarrhea) and future drug-resistant infections. This month, the CDC Vital Signs report looks at prescribing practices and variations, and calls on all U.S. hospitals to improve antibiotic-prescribing practices.
Who
Tom Frieden, M.D., M.P.H., Director, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
John R. Combes, M.D., Senior Vice President, American Hospital AssociationWhen
Tuesday, March 4 at Noon ET (Content embargoed until 1pm ET)
DIAL-IN:
Media: 888-795-0855
Non-Media: 800-369-1605
International: 1-630-395-0331
PASSCODE: CDC MEDIAImportant Instructions: If you would like to ask a question during the call, press *1 on your touchtone phone. Press *2 to withdraw your question. You may queue up at any time. You will hear a tone to indicate your question is pending.
TRANSCRIPT
A transcript of this media availability will be available following the briefing at CDC’s web site: www.cdc.gov/media.###
For more on the importance of proper antibiotic stewardship, you may wish to revisit these earlier blogs.
Chan: World Faces A `Post-Antibiotic Era’
And for a far more complete discussion of antimicrobial resistance issues, I can think of no better primer than Maryn McKenna’s book SUPERBUG: The Fatal Menace of MRSA.
Superbug (MRSA) Book
Meanwhile, Maryn’s SUPERBUG Blog, continues to provide the best day-to-day coverage of these issues.
