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Health Conditions
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Bacterial Infection
Who has it?
Bacterial
infection affects all people at some point in their lives. It is hard to
estimate how many cases of bacterial infections there are at any given time,
because so many different types of bacteria are involved. Bacterial infections
are more common among children, the elderly and those with other health
problems. In the general population, the rate of infectious disease has been
curbed dramatically by improved sanitation and the introduction of drugs that
treat and prevent infection.
Because of their potential threat to public health, the rates of infection by more dangerous, drug resistant bacteria are monitored by organizations like the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. These kinds of infections are increasing. Researchers have estimated, for example, that the incidence of infections that do not respond to the antibiotic vancomycin, increased by a factor of 20 in intensive care units in the United States between 1987 and 1993. Vancomycin was once considered the last resort in the battle against infectious bacteria. Recently, two new antibiotics, linezolid (Zyvox) and quinupristin/dalfopristin (Synercid) have been introduced. These agents currently remain last resort to resistant bacteria. Their use is being carefully controlled to prevent microorganisms from developing resistance. It
is important for the medical community to stop prescribing unnecessary
antibiotics, and for the public to stop asking for them. The emergence of
bacteria that can thrive in the presence of some of the most powerful
antibiotics poses a dangerous threat to public health. The consequences for
society are also costly. As more and more bacteria become resistant to current
therapies, patients have to take newer and more expensive antibiotics and
society has to spend more time and money trying to develop new and better
agents. It can cost over $5,000 to treat a patient with a resistant bacterial
infection. According to one estimate this adds up to a total of more than $4
billion spent each year in the United States to treat multi-drug resistant
bacterial infections.
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Note: The above information is intended to supplement, not substitute for, the expertise and judgment of your physician, pharmacist, or other healthcare professional. It is not intended to diagnose a health condition, but it can be used as a guide to help you decide if you should seek professional treatment or to help you learn more about your condition once it has been diagnosed.
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Who has it?
