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Issue Exploration Essay

Antibiotics were discovered in the 1940s and were used
throughout World War II. Antibiotics prevented many infections that
could have been caused by almost anything throughout the war. For
nearly thirty years it seemed as if antibiotics could cure any sign of
infection. However in 1967 the first bacteria was found that was
resistant to antibiotics. It was known as Streptococcus pneumonia.
Seven years later this bacteria was again found in the United States.
Today antibiotic resistant bacteria are not so uncommon. In the
present day there are about two million cases of individuals that are
infected with bacteria that have become impervious or resistant to
antibiotics and there about twenty-three thousand deaths a year on
average in the United States.
In a letter published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine which
shows studies from Doctors Michael L. Barnett and Jeffrey A. Linder
which states that only about ten percent of those who have a sore
throat actually have strep. Doctors prescribed antibiotics to about
sixty percent of all sore throat cases that means that the other fifty
percent obviously dont have strep but are still being prescribed
antibiotics that would cure strep throat. Situations where over
prescribing occurs like the one mentioned happen often and not just
in cases of sore throats but in other illnesses that can be cured
without antibiotics.
There are a certain things that are believed to be the cause of
the development of resistance to antibiotics. The primary reason is
believed to be the overuse of antibiotics. Today there are doctors
who prescribe medicine to people with infections that cannot be
cured with antibiotics. For example antibiotics cannot be given to
someone who has a virus like influenza or measles because they do
not have any impact on viruses. But studies have shown that
doctors have given medicine for something that is incurable with
antibiotics. It was written that there were cases of children who
have been given antibiotics for something that wouldnt be cure.
This study showed that there is only about 27% chance of a
repertory tract infection which meant that there were about twothirds of infections that were infections due to viruses and would not
be cure by antibiotics. That means that there about 11.4 million
unnecessary prescriptions. Not only are antibiotics useless when
used for certain viruses they have side effects that can make you
even more sick, side effects such as severe diarrhea, vomiting,
shortness of breath, swelling of the lips and so on. So why are

antibiotics being overly prescribed knowing that this leads many

other problems?
Doctors such as Dr. Mobeen Rathore, chief of pediatric infectious
diseases at Wolfson Childrens Hospital in Jacksonville, Florida,
and professor at the University of Florida, have openly admitted
this to be because often there are times where the doctors do
not know whether the infection they are dealing with is viral or
bacterial. Doctors can determine whether the infection is viral or
bacterial with lab work but the fact of the matter is that this
takes time, time that most people do not want to wait when they
are ill. Doctors can be to blame but the finger can also be
pointed towards patients as well. Often times patients want to
take medication when they do not need it in order to be feel
better as quick as possible or patients simply do not know what
they have whether itd be a viral infection or a bacterial infection
so they automatically assume that antibiotics is the answer to
their relief.
There are other reasons believed to be a cause of antibiotic
resistance which is giving antibiotics to animals. In an article called
The FDA Says Farmers Are Giving Animals Too Many Antibiotics it
states that antibiotics have been used in animal farms to allow rapid
growth and make sure, that animals that are used for food, do not
carry harmful bacteria. The use of antibiotics in animals increased
by sixteen percent between 2009 to 2012.This idea was approved
by the FDA. The idea was to allow rapid growth which would provide
poultry and other food that came from animals to cost less money
to produce. As the bacteria that can be found in these animals has
grown to become resistant to the antibiotics many food companies
have realized the severity of this problem and have ceased the use
of antibiotics on animals and supermarkets such as Wal-Mart have
begun to buy these products. The sales have risen from about 5% to
almost 30% within a year. However, it is not just food companies
that have been making this change. In Bellevue, Washington,
Overlake Hospital Medical Center has ceased to provide food with
antibiotics and is a prime example to other hospitals that are
changing their menus. Although there many who are making this
change they do no fail to admit that this idea of purchasing food
without antibiotics is indeed more expensive which leads to another
point of view.
Although food without antibiotics is a great way to try and make
sure we stop bacteria from becoming resistant it does not come
without a price. In the article Meat Companies Go Antibiotics-Free
as More Consumers Demand It it states that there are more
companies that are serving food without the use of antibiotics sales

numbers show that meat without the use of antibiotics is more

expensive than meat that does use them because it is more
expensive to produce but even though it is more expensive, it is a
price that many are willing to pay in order to help in whatever way
they can.
This ties to the financial side of the medical issue as well.
Hospitals have proven the obvious fact that if antibiotics were held
to a limit they would save a substantial amount of money. In the
United States there are about 11. 4 million prescriptions given that
are unnecessary. Just with this fact it gives us the point of view in
how much money we are spending in excess.
My point of view in this situation is that we definitely need to
solve this issue. It is a shock to believe that this has been a problem
for some time and until recently, there has been a change. I feel
that the reason why it has taken such a long time to solve this
problem is because companies want to make more money faster,
and use antibiotics in food to allow faster growth in animals used for
food. Another reason is because doctors and hospitals have fallen
into the custom of prescribing antibiotics to whatever sickness
comes there way.
We have used antibiotics to fight bacteria that can damage and
make our body ill. Over time we have over used our medicine and
because of this allowed bacteria to become stronger and resistant.
We are making progress however, we have taken initiative by
reducing the use of antibiotics in our food. We have also made it
known that hospitals are over prescribing antibiotics and begun to
open the eyes of indvivuals.