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MRSA Information

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Antibiotics work well against infections caused by bacteria, but do not work on colds, the flu, or other infections caused by viruses.

The treatment of some illnesses is getting harder due to a problem called antibiotic resistance. Simply put, antibiotic resistance means that the bacteria that cause many illnesses are out-smarting the drugs we have to treat them. 

The world faces the risk that antibiotic medications may no longer work to treat many illnesses. Some health care professionals and research scientists fear we are at the brink of returning to the “pre-antibiotic” era when some common infections, like pneumonia, resulted in much greater morbidity and mortality than it does when it can be treated with antibiotics.

One of the main causes of antibiotic resistance is the overuse and incorrect use of antibiotics. Antibiotics are often incorrectly used to treat sicknesses such as colds, flu, and bronchitis. Antibiotics do not cure or help these illnesses because they are almost always caused by viruses. 

Instead of antibiotics, Get Smart Colorado recommends you try other approaches for treating colds, the flu, and bronchitis. Together we can use antibiotics wisely so that these life-saving medicines keep working.

 

MRSA Information Appropriate Use of Antibiotics for Acute Respiratory Infections: clinical guidelines