The AAFP president recently emphasized the importance of antibiotic resistance.
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Amanda Rupp | Mar 23, 2016

AAFP president highlights antibiotic resistance

AAFP President Wanda Filer recently joined a panel discussion about the growth of antibiotic resistance and how it will change treatments for patients in the future.

Antibiotic resistance has been on the rise in the U.S. and around the world. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that antibiotic resistance impacts approximately two million people in the U.S., causing 23,000 deaths last year alone.

The Atlantic hosted the forum to discuss the many contributing factors to the rise in antibiotic resistance, including overuse of antibiotics for patient care and improve use of antibiotics within the agriculture industry.

"Antibiotic resistance is one of the most serious public health threats of our time," Beth Bell, director of the CDC's National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, said. "It threatens modern medicine. We know that antibiotics overuse drives resistance."

Despite the danger of growing antibiotic resistance, health professionals report that the public has good awareness and understanding of the problems and solutions. Still, medical professionals must continue to manage the expectations of their patients.

"The public demand for antibiotics has dropped," Filer said. "I do not see the push for antibiotics that I used to see. I think the public is getting the message."

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