State Health officials say South Dakota is part of a national plan to combat antibiotic resistant bacteria.
Bacteria evolve quickly and many strains have now become immune to antibiotics that used to stop them. Global health officials are expressing increasing concern over the rise of so called “super bugs.”
Angela Jackley is with the South Dakota Department of Health.
“We do not have a large amount of antibiotics left to use once these antibiotics become resistant. So, it’s important that we look at the antibiotics that we have now and we use those appropriately to target the right condition and not use broad spectrum antibiotics which basically are antibiotics that work to cover a wide range of bacteria. We want to use the antibiotic that is most appropriate for that type of bacteria and focus on that so we don’t’ build that resistance,” says Jackley.
New federal requirements call for antibiotic stewardship programs in medical facilities to reduce inappropriate antibiotic use across the country.
Jackley says careful use of antibiotics are not only about hospitals and medical facilities but also the public. She says it’s important to not over use antibiotics.