NC Department of Health and Human Services

What do sinusitis, most sore throats, runny noses and the regular cold have in common? They are upper respiratory tract infections usually caused by viruses that cannot be cured with antibiotics.

Yet each year, U.S. health care providers prescribe tens of millions of antibiotics for viral infections. The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, the Division of Public Health in cooperation with the Quality Center, an initiative of the North Carolina Hospital Association, have launched a statewide public awareness campaign to educate healthcare consumers on the pros and cons of antibiotics.

Each year, more than 2 million Americans get infections that are resistant to antibiotics and 23,000 die as a result. Terms like C diff and MRSA have become commonplace in hospitals and physician offices across North Carolina. According to a landmark CDC report from September 2013, the overuse of antibiotics is a significant factor fueling the problem.

“We are seeing increasing numbers of hospital patients being admitted with or developing infections that are related to antibiotic overuse,” said Zack Moore, M.D., of the N.C. DHHS Division of Public Health, which monitors hospital-acquired infections across the state. “There has been more than a 900 percent increase in deaths from Clostridium difficile (C diff) alone since 2001. That is an alarming statistic that should cause all of us to pay attention to this issue.”

Antibiotic resistance occurs when bacteria evolve and are able to outsmart antibiotics, making even common infections difficult to treat. Every year, as many as 10 million U.S. children risk side effects from prescriptions for conditions that can’t be cured with antibiotics.

“Our goal is to begin the conversation between a doctor and patient,” said Carol Koeble, M.D., director of the N.C. Quality Center. “It’s important to know when an antibiotic is necessary. The truth is, for viruses like the flu, an antibiotic can do you more harm than good.”

Antibiotics are lifesaving medicines and a vital resource to preserve. However, drug- resistant infections continue to grow in number and severity while the numbers of new antibiotics to fight such infections are dwindling. One of the most common infections, Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) kills an estimated 19,000 Americans every year, more than emphysema, HIV/AIDS, Parkinson’s disease, and homicide combined.

The World Health Organization (WHO), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA) consider antibiotic resistance to be one of the greatest threats to human health worldwide.

Find out more about Get Smart about Antibiotics at http://www.ncgetsmart.org