FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM FEBRUARY 1, 2018 • HEALTH • THE QUEENS COURIER 31
health
Antibiotics won’t cure the fl u - so
watch your symptoms carefully
Flu is widespread in New York. In a
recent report from the New York State
Department of Health, it was found
that the number of patients hospitalized
with laboratory-confi rmed infl uenza has
increased by more than 50% in recent
weeks.
Th e Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) has confi rmed in a
health advisory that infl uenza activity has
escalated, with H3N2 viruses predominating
this fl u season. H3N2 has been
associated with growing cases of severe
illness and hospitalizations.
Heightened fl u activity, during the cold
and fl u season, and the severity of symptoms
caused by the virus have caused
many patients to go to their physicians
seeking antibiotics.
“As the cold and fl u season approaches
its peak, more patients are going to their
physicians in hope of receiving antibiotics.
Unfortunately, many think that antibiotics
are the answer but they are not
always the answer,” said Dr. Luigi Tullo,
Family Medicine Physician at Jamaica
Hospital Medical Center. “Antibiotics are
appropriate for bacterial infections, but
not for viruses such as the fl u and other
upper respiratory tract infections.”
Dr. Tullo further explained, “In the
past, a culture was created where it was
implied that antibiotics could treat almost
anything and patients oft en left their doctor’s
visit unsatisfi ed because antibiotics
were not prescribed.”
Dr. Tullo and his colleagues, with the
assistance of the United Hospital Fund,
developed the Outpatient Antibiotic
Stewardship Program at Jamaica Hospital
in an eff ort to change this perception and
to educate patients about the proper uses
of antibiotics.
Th e Outpatient Antibiotics Stewardship
Program involves Jamaica Hospital working
to develop measures to improve how
antibiotics are prescribed by doctors and
how patients are using them. As part of
its eff orts, the hospital has implemented
tools to assist physicians in their electronic
medical records and has used teaching
aids from the CDC’s “Get Smart” public
education campaign, including educational
posters on what illnesses are caused
by virus vs bacteria, and which need antibiotics.
Th e hospital has begun using Acute
Respiratory Illness Prescriptions to give
patients information on how to treat
these viral illnesses in place of antibiotics.
During visits, emphasis is placed on
how well doctors explain symptoms and
appropriate treatments to their patients.
According to Tullo, “If it is properly
explained that not needing antibiotics
when they have a virus may be a good
thing, the message will be better received.”
Over-prescribing antibiotics can lead
to the drugs becoming less eff ective when
they are really needed. Another cause
for concern is the evolution of bacteria.
When exposed to the same antibiotic
repeatedly, bacteria can become resistant
to the very medications that were intended
to eradicate them. As a result, many
life-threatening super-bugs and illnesses
can develop.
Jamaica Hospital continues to strive to
do the best for their patients and hopes
that through this eff ort, they can improve
the long-term health of the community.
Since the implementation of the program,
a preliminary review has shown a 32%
decline in total antibiotics prescribed and
a 39.9% decrease in antibiotics prescribed
for Acute Respiratory Illnesses.
Courtesy Jamaica Hospital Medical
Center