Consumer Reports is spearheading a program to educate both patients and doctors about when antibiotics are needed and when they aren’t. You can find more information on ConsumerReports.org.
Antibiotics are miracle drugs that over the years have saved millions of lives. But their misuse and overuse are having dangerous consequences. They're creating antibiotic-resistant bacteria that have spread from hospitals into our communities. Consumer Reports calls the rise of superbugs a major crisis of our times and says we all have a role to play in stopping them.
The problem: Not all infections can be cured by an antibiotic. The overuse in people, livestock, poultry, and farmed seafood have led to mutations of bacteria that are now resistant to once-effective drugs.
Doctors and consumers are part of the problem. We use antibiotics even if they won't work, such as for a cold or the flu, and sometimes we're the ones who insist on using them. In fact, a Consumer Reports survey found that one in five people who got an antibiotic asked his doctor to prescribe it.
Consumer Reports is spearheading a program to educate both patients and doctors about when antibiotics are needed and when they aren't. You can find more information on ConsumerReports.org.
More: Consumer Reports' Five Antibotic Myths
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