Reducing Antibiotic Resistance
Don't demand antibiotics for colds and other viral infections. Viruses are not affected by antibiotics, which only kill bacteria.
Try not to use lotions and soaps with antibacterial agents. Overuse of antimicrobial drugs can decrease competition for antibiotic resistant bacteria and cause them to proliferate.
If given a prescription of antibiotics, completely finish it to ensure that all possible bacteria have been destroyed and will not resurface as antibiotic resistant strains.
Doctors should prescribe drugs that target a specific microbe instead of broad-spectrum drugs. This way, benign bacteria that can increase competition for drug resistant strains will not be eliminated.
