A panel of health experts called together by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued "Principles for Appropriate Antibiotic Use" for treatment of adult upper respiratory infections. The panel was formed because of CDC's growing concern over the misuse of
antibiotics.
According to the guidelines, the treatment goal for otherwise healthy adults with acute upper respiratory infections such as bronchitis, colds and most types of sore throats, should be to alleviate symptoms. Antibiotics are often mistakenly used to fight infections caused by viruses. Antibiotics are not effective against such viral infections.
Research indicates that 50 million antibiotic prescriptions are dispensed each year for illnesses such as the common cold or flu. Antibiotics offer no treatment benefits for such conditions. Treating viral respiratory infections with antibiotics promotes antibiotic-resistant bacteria, a growing problem.
The purpose of the new CDC guidelines is to provide physicians and medical personnel with strategies to encourage antibiotic use only for those patients most likely to benefit from such medications.
Excessive antibiotic use is contributing to the emergence and spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Many of these so-called "superbugs" are immune to conventional antibiotics. As such, fewer effective drugs are available to treat these emerging diseases.