CHENANGO COUNTY – Antibiotics have been used for the past 70 years to help reduce illness and death from infectious diseases, however, if antibiotics are not used properly they can actually be harmful to our health.

Even if you are ill, antibiotics may not always be the best treatment option. Antibiotics cannot cure viral illnesses such as the flu and colds, and using an antibiotic to treat anything but a bacterial infection will not cure what ails you, make you feel better or make you less contagious. Historically, the overuse and misuse of antibiotics has caused major health concerns.

Using any form antibiotic when it is not needed causes some bacteria to survive, multiply and become resistant to the administered antibiotic. The resistant strains of bacteria are much stronger and harder to kill and can stay in your body, which may cause severe illnesses that cannot be cured with traditional antibiotics. These resistant bacteria may even lead to death.

The Center for Disease Control reports that in the United States, there are at least 2 million people that become infected with bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics and at least 23,000 people die each year as a direct result of these infections.

Everyday, healthcare professionals are taking steps necessary to reduce antibiotic resistance by reducing antibiotic use for illnesses attributed to viruses. Also, they are reducing the use of medical devices/equipment that help bacteria enter the body.