CDC Digital Press Kit: Untreatable: Today’s Drug-Resistant Health Threats

Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page. Untreatable: Today’s Drug-Resistant Health Threats Every year, more than two million people in the United States get infections that are resistant to antibiotics and at least 23,000 people die as a result, according to a new report issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The report, Antibiotic Resistance Threats in the United States, 2013, presents a first-ever snapshot of the burden and threats posed by the antibiotic-resistant germs that have the most impact on human health. This report is also the first time that CDC has ranked these threats into categories of urgent, serious, and concerning. In addition to the illness and deaths caused by resistant bacteria, the report found that C. difficile, a serious diarrheal infection usually associated with antibiotic use, causes at least 250,000 hospitalizations and 14,000 deaths every year. The loss of effective antibiotic treatments will not only cripple the ability to fight routine infectious diseases but will also undermine treatment of infectious complications in patients with other diseases. Many advances in medical treatment, such as joint replacements, organ transplants, and cancer therapies, are dependent on the ability to fight infections with antibiotics. If the ability to effectively treat those infections is lost, the ability to safely offer people many of the life-saving and life-improving modern medical advances will be lost with it. The use of antibiotics is the single most important factor leading to antibiotic resistance around the world. Antibiotics are among the most commonly prescribed drugs used in human medicine. However, up to half of antibiotic use in humans and much of antibiotic use in animals is unnecessary or inappropriate. Read more>>     Modify/Update Subscriber Preferences  |  Unsubscribe  |  Send Feedback  |  Learn more about CDC Email Updates To receive the latest news for your region, please update your profile with your country, state and zip code. Questions or problems? Please contact support@govdelivery.com.     STAY CONNECTED:    CDC on Facebook  Dr. Frieden on Twitter  CDC on YouTube This email was sent to filter@clubhouseb.com using GovDelivery, on behalf of: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) · 1600 Clifton Rd · Atlanta, GA 30333 · 1-800-CDC-INFO (800-232-4636)