{"id":12085,"date":"2016-12-08T08:00:14","date_gmt":"2016-12-08T14:00:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.paristn.net\/articles\/?p=12085"},"modified":"2016-12-08T00:01:25","modified_gmt":"2016-12-08T06:01:25","slug":"tennessee-department-of-health-encourages-tennesseans-to-help-prevent-overuse-of-antibiotics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.paristn.net\/articles\/2016\/12\/08\/tennessee-department-of-health-encourages-tennesseans-to-help-prevent-overuse-of-antibiotics\/","title":{"rendered":"Tennessee Department of Health encourages Tennesseans to Help Prevent Overuse of Antibiotics"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"TennesseeNashville, TN<\/strong> – Antibiotics are among the most commonly prescribed drugs used in human medicine, and chances are you and your family members have taken them multiple times.These vital drugs help fight life-threatening bacterial  diseases and are generally safe when appropriately prescribed.<\/p>\n

But overuse and misuse of antibiotics can reduce their benefit and contribute to the rise of drug-resistant bacteria, which kill thousands of Americans every year.<\/p>\n

\"Overuse<\/a>

Overuse and misuse of antibiotics can reduce their benefit and contribute to the rise of drug-resistant bacteria.<\/p><\/div>\n

The  Tennessee Department of Health encourages Tennesseans to learn about proper prescribing and use of these medications.<\/p>\n

 \u201cAntibiotics are critical to our ability to fight some serious diseases, but increasingly they are less effective because we are overusing these powerful medicines in both humans and animals,\u201d said TDH Commissioner John Dreyzehner, MD,  MPH. \u201cEach of us has a responsibility as patients to know that taking and prescribing them is not to be done lightly. In addition to the growing threat of resistance, these drugs can also cause very serious side effects, more than we once  knew, and that means we have to ask our health care provider how to use them the right way and to prescribe them only when they are really needed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAs we approach the cold and flu season, our concern about misuse of antibiotics increases,\u2019\u2019 said TDH State Epidemiologist Tim Jones, MD. \u201cTo help stay healthy this winter, and to reduce the misuse of antibiotics, we urge all Tennesseans six months of age and older to get a flu shot.\u201d<\/p>\n

Antibiotics only combat bacterial infections, not viruses. Sinus infections, sore throats and ear infections are usually caused by viruses and antibiotics are rarely recommended. Research shows up to 50 percent of all antibiotics prescribed for people are not needed or are not optimally effective as prescribed. Taking antibiotics if you don\u2019t really need them, or not taking them as prescribed, can contribute to the emergence and spread of antibiotic-resistant infections.<\/p>\n

Patients should ask their healthcare providers several key questions about an antibiotic prescription before taking it:<\/p>\n