If you have a cold, or the flu, antibiotics won’t work for you
2nd Annual Get Smart About Antibiotics Week will be held Oct 5-11, 2009
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(HealthNewsDigest.com) – Pharmacists around the nation are joining the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to educate consumers about the appropriate use of antibiotics during this influenza season. Antibiotics are intended to treat bacterial infections, not viruses like the flu. The CDC is observing the second annual Get Smart About Antibiotics Week October 5-11, 2009.
The Get Smart: Know When Antibiotics Work program reaches parents,
pharmacists and health care providers through print advertisements, fact
sheets, brochures, posters, radio and print public service
announcements, podcasts, and mainstream media interviews.
“We are very pleased to have pharmacists as partners in this important
effort,” said Dr. Lauri Hicks, medical director of CDC’s Get Smart: Know
When Antibiotics Work program. “They are extremely knowledgeable and can
make a big difference in public health.”
Doctors often feel pressure from patients or parents to prescribe
antibiotics, especially during the flu season. According to a recent
study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, 50
percent of people who visit their doctor for upper respiratory
infections receive an antibiotic prescription. Antibiotics kill
bacteria, not the viruses that cause colds or flu, most coughs and
bronchitis, sore throats not caused by strep, and runny noses. Taking
antibiotics when you don’t need them or not as prescribed increases your
risk of getting an infection later that resists antibiotic treatment.
Antibiotic overuse is a serious problem and a threat to everyone’s
health.
“With the extra challenge of an H1N1 flu pandemic, it is more important
than ever that patients and parents know that antibiotics do not treat
flu,” says Hicks. “We encourage patients and parents to talk to their
pharmacists, as they are a great free resource for helpful information.”
David Burgess, president of the Society of Infectious Diseases
Pharmacists, adds: “We are committed to continue creating educational
materials and programs that community pharmacists can use to fight the
battle of antibiotic resistance.”
To help prevent illness, CDC encourages people to wash their hands
frequently, use hand sanitizers when hand washing is not feasible, get
the flu and other recommended vaccines and avoid close contact with
people who are sick.
Today, CDC hosted a first-ever retail pharmacy summit which brought
together retail pharmacy chains Rite-Aid, Kroger, Giant Eagle and
Giant/Stop and Shop, non-profits and advocacy groups committed to
decreasing the spread of antibiotic resistance and strengthening the
important role of pharmacists in educating patients on remedies for
colds and flu.
For more information or to download free educational materials, visit
www.cdc.gov/getsmart.
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