Consequences of antibiotic resistance

For many years, the introduction of new antibiotics outpaced the development of antibiotic resistance. In recent years, however, the pace of medication resistance has contributed to an increasing number of health care problems.

Approximately 2 million infections from antibiotic-resistant bacteria occur in the United States each year, resulting in 23,000 deaths.

Other consequences of medication-resistant infections include:

• More-serious illness
• Longer recovery
• More-frequent or longer hospitalization
• More doctor visits
• More-expensive treatments