CDC launches second annual Get Smart About Antibiotics Week

WASHINGTON Taking antibiotics when not needed threatens both individuals and the public, and government officials have enlisted pharmacists to promote smart use of antibacterial medicines.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has launched its second annual Get Smart About Antibiotics Week, which takes place from Monday, Oct. 5, through Friday, Oct. 9. The CDC said pharmacists around the country have joined the campaign to educate patients on when to use and when not to use antibiotics.

Antibiotics are designed to treat bacterial infections, but many patients use them to treat colds and flus, which result from viral infections, and many physicians feel pressure from patients or parents to prescribe antibiotics, especially during the flu season. Not only will antibiotics not work on these infections, but patients taking them place themselves at risk of contracting bacterial infections resistant to antibiotics.

“We are very pleased to have pharmacists as partners in this important effort,” Get Smart program medical director Lauri Hicks said in a statement. “They are extremely knowledgeable and can make a big difference in public health.”