MORE: Why Are There Still So Many Antibiotics In America’s Meat? About 2 million people in the US are infected with antibiotic-resistant bacteria every year, according to the CDC—nearly 10 times the number of women who will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year. Roughly 23,000 people die from these infections. The is too long to skim without feeling seriously skeeved. Three major players that have been causing some big concerns of late:Clostridium difficile or C. diff Life-threatening diarrhea, typically in hospitalized patients who have recently taken an antibiotic 250,000 infections and 14,000 deaths a year )Urinary tract infections, wound infections, pneumonia, meningitis, and other infections, typically in hospitalized patients with compromised immune systems 9,000 drug-resistant infections and 600 deaths a year Symptoms: Impact: Do what you can to stay healthy “If you have good overall health and don’t [take] a lot of antibiotics, you generally will have a very robust ecology of normal bacteria that help shield you from some of these more dangerous pathogens,” Tosh says. list of antibiotic-resistant threatsSuperbug: Symptoms:Impact:Superbug:Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRESymptoms: Impact:Superbug:Neisseria gonorrhoeaeGonorrhea, which is characterized by discharge and inflammation of the urethra, cervix, pharynx, or rectum246,000 drug-resistant infections a year While you wait for government action to make a difference, there are some small ways to protect yourself and your family:Wash your hands Rethink your RxChange your expectations about when your doc should sign over a prescription. It’s the pits to drag yourself to the doctor when you’re feeling crummy only to find out you would have been just fine staying home with a bowl of soup and a cozy blanket. But pressuring a doctor to give you antibiotics when you really don’t need them isn’t the answer. (Of course, if they are prescribed, please follow doctor’s orders, Tosh says.)Use protection In the case of Neisseria gonorrhoeae, like with any sexually-transmitted infection, barrier protection (aka condoms—male or female—or dental dams) is your best bet. Considering 30% of gonorrhea infections are resistant to at least one type of antibiotic now, it’s become significantly harder to treat, Tosh says. MORE: 9 Ways Doctors And Nurses Avoid Getting Sick
