If antibiotics are used too often for things they can't treat — like colds, flu or other viral infections — they become less effective against the bacteria they're intended to treat. Not taking antibiotics exactly as prescribed also leads to problems. For example, if you take an antibiotic for only a few days — instead of the full course — theantibiotic may wipe out some but not all of the bacteria. The surviving bacteria become more resistant and can be spread to other people. When bacteria become resistant to first line treatments, the risk of complications and death is increased. In the United States alone, thousands of people die each year of antibiotic-resistant infections they contracted in the hospital.
The failure of first line antibiotics also means that doctors have to resort to less conventional medications, many of which are more costly and associated with more serious side effects. For instance, the drugs needed to treat drug-resistant forms of tuberculosis (TB) are much more expensive than are the drugs used to treat nonresistant TB. The course of treatment is long — up to two years — and the side effects can be severe.
Other consequences are the increased costs associated with prolonged illnesses, including expenses for additional tests, treatments and hospitalization, and indirect costs such as lost income.
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