Antibiotic Reduction Campaign Begins in Colorado

DENVER, Colo-Officials at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have funded a four-year, $2 million information campaign geared toward convincing residents in Colorado that excessive use of antibiotics is dangerous.

The advertisements will begin next year on radio and television, bus stops, billboards, and newspapers in an attempt to reach physicians and patients. The message is clear: antibiotic use makes it more difficult to kill germs. Germs are mutating faster than antibacterial technology.

While some Colorado doctors are afraid their patients will go "doctor shopping" in an attempt to receive prescriptions for antibiotics, they are also hoping most doctors will comply with the campaign and follow the guidelines.

Antibiotics should not be prescribed for viruses or taken improperly.

Information from www.washingtonpost.com