Illinois Health Department Marks U.S. Antibiotic Awareness Week

SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department of Public Health will observe U.S. Antibiotic Awareness Week November 18th through the 24th. The annual event is intended to increase public knowledge about the importance of careful use of antibiotics in order to prevent antimicrobial resistance, where bacteria and other germs develop an immunity to the drugs that were designed to fight them. The CDC estimates that each year, more than 2.8 million antibiotic-resistant infections occur in the U.S.