Montana Antibiotic Resistance Awareness (MARA)
Why antibiotic resistance concerns everyone!
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Antibiotic resistance has been called one of the world's most pressing public health problems.
(World Health Organization)
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2 million people acquire bacterial infections in U.S. hospitals each year, and
90,000 die as a result. About 70 percent of those infections are resistant to at least one drug.
The trends toward increasing numbers of infection and increasing drug resistance show no sign of
abating. (Infectious Disease Society of America, 2004)
- In a population of 275 million people (the size of the United States), antibiotic use is the equivalent
of nearly 30 prescriptions per 100 persons per year. (The New England Journal of Medicine December 28, 2000)
- Each year in the United States, more than 160 million prescriptions are written for antibiotics.
Humans consume 235 million doses of antibiotics annually. It is estimated that 20%-50% of that use is
unnecessary. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2000, The New England Journal of Medicine,
December 28, 2000)
- Children are of particular concern because they have the highest rates of antibiotic use.
They also have the highest rate of infections caused by antibiotic-resistant pathogens. (Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention, 2005)
- Parent pressure makes a difference. For pediatric care, a recent study showed that doctors prescribe antibiotics 65% of the time if they perceive parents expect them; and 12% of the time if they feel parents do not expect them. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2005)
In light of our increasingly mobile society, what we do at home, in our communities, and in Montana with respect to antibiotics can have national and even global implications. Appropriate use of antibiotics is everyone's responsibility, and not just a health care provider issue.
