Thursday, November 22, 2007

Risks for Misusing Antibiotics


The misuse and over usage of antibiotics is causing a major downfall in our society. Despite the instructions on the bottle there are many people who stop the drug when they feel better. This creates a huge issue for scientists who are forced to create stronger and stronger prescriptions. The bacteria, which are causing the illness, will mutate to accommodate the antibiotic if the prescription is not used to its full extent. When you misuse antibiotics you are putting the world at greater risk for infection. The bacteria get stronger and more resistant to the antibiotic. The select few bacteria which survive will reproduce and create more of their resistant kind. This is why it is always important not to cheap out on your antibiotics.
Scientists say we are bringing this on ourselves which I agree with. We all go travelling and easily bring foreign bacteria back with us. We are also extremely sanitary therefore our immune systems are incredibly weak. By destroying the purpose of antibiotics we are setting ourselves up for a major disaster. In some places in the United States people are demanding antibiotics for viral infections, which we all know cannot be treated by antibiotics. These people helping create resistant bacteria which could potentially create huge health risks throughout North America.
Doctors are now becoming aware of the problems of antibiotic resistant bacteria and are starting to only hand out necessary prescriptions. This new method will hopefully help us to eliminate the problem of creating more antibiotic resistant bacteria.

http://www.shirleys-wellness-cafe.com/antibiotics.htm
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/library/10/4/l_104_03.html
http://www.fda.gov/FDAC/features/1998/698_bugs.html
http://www.kidshealth.org/parent/general/sick/antibiotic_overuse.html

1 comments:

Dominic said...

I do not think we have weak immune systems and although I think (and know) there is a misuse of antibiotics, I think the real problem is more complicated than that. First there is an overprescription of antibiotics but also antibiotics are also used for other purposes. For example, antibiotics are added routinely to the feed of fish in fish farms. Antibiotic resistance is not something new, it was noted the very first year penicillin was used.