Minn. Health Leaders Discuss Antibiotic Resistance Threat
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Four Minnesota agencies are joining forces to work on reducing the impact of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
The Minnesota Department of Health, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, the Board of Animal Health and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency announced the "One Health" Antibiotics Steward Collaborative Friday.
The five-year plan aims at keeping antibiotics working to protect the health of humans, animals and the environment in Minnesota.
"Unless we can find ways to preserve effectiveness of antibiotics we have and slow resistance to new antibiotics, we are poised to enter a new era where we suffer great losses due to our inability to control bacteria," said Dr. Ed Ehlinger, MDH's commissioner.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate 23,000 deaths and 2,000,000 illnesses are caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria each year.
Minnesota's health officials are trying to preserve the effectiveness of antibiotics by limiting unnecessary prescriptions among health professionals, while also educating the public on how they can contribute, including:
- Decrease the need for antibiotics by avoiding infections, washing hands, getting recommended vaccines.
- Do not ask for antibiotics when health care provider thinks they are unnecessary.
- Take antibiotics as prescribed, without skipping doses or keeping leftover antibiotics.
The four agencies will be collaborating with the University of Minnesota and health professionals around the state to measure antibiotics use and work to provide health care professionals with better antibiotic assessment tools.
