The widespread overuse and abuse of antibiotics is going to be our downfall as a society, but don’t ever think that this is just a problem in the 3rd world.

I wont even get started on the insane amounts of antibiotics we inject into our cows,pigs,etc. This is a nightmare waiting to happen on its own.

The only difference here is we have to go through the drill to get the prescription and pay a lot more for them. Kids are coming up with practically zero natural immunity since they’ve been fed antibiotics for the slightest scratch, for viral colds and sniffles, whatever. The Docs will just write the script for amoxycillin or some such to shut the parents up. You just can’t seem to convince the modern parent that there really isn’t anything you can or should do about a common cold other than give some symptomatic relief and that it is good for kids to be a little dirty sometimes.

nosocomial infections first as far as resistant infections. I think a bigger threat is picking up MRSA and VRE or from a hosptial worker when have a procedure done at than from someone living in S America.

has to do with resistant bacteria? I read the diary again and I don’t get the connection. I think you have a good diary but I don’t see how the swine flu is tied in except that they give people prophylactic antibiotics when they get a bad viral infection.

over your kids anymore. If little Johnny tells teacher that he was sick and suffering and his mean old parents wouldn’t take him to the Doc, those parents may well find themselves talking to the nice lesbian social workers about child abuse. And if the nice lesbian social workers don’t like you, you might find yourself talking to the cops about child abuse.

When we first starte trying to get meaningful cost controls on our HI plan, among the first things we did was put big time co-pays on Dr. visits and, especially, ER visits that did not result in admission. Employers foolishly contribute to this cost by demanding Dr. excuses for absences for no good reason.