The state health department has found that Oregon doctors continue to prescribe too many antibiotics despite a drop in the levels of antibiotic resistant bacteria in the state.
MRSA is a leading cause of hospital-associated infections in the United States and United Kingdom.
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
One study found no cases of antibiotic-resistant pneumococcus bacteria in Portland during 2013 and 2014. And a study in Klamath County found lower rates of another antibiotic-resistant bacterium, ‘clostridium difficile.’
But Dr. Ann Thomas with Oregon’s Public Health Division said the state is still seeing too many antibiotic prescriptions for viruses — like colds and the flu. “It’s kind of a good news and bad news situation," she said.
"I feel like our use of antibiotics is lower than the rest of the country. But when I look at some specific conditions and how often they get treated with antibiotics, I see a lot of room for improvement.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said every year at least two million Americans are infected with bacteria that don’t respond to antibiotics. About 23,000 people die due to those infections.