A leading U.S. government health agency is focusing an annual campaign on educating patients, parents, and health care providers about (1)___________________________ antibiotics. The inappropriate use of antibiotics can lead to "superbugs" that resist drugs.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the CDC, is marking the 3rd week in November as "Get Smart About Antibiotics Week." (2)___________________________ the misuse of these powerful drugs, such as when a doctor prescribes an antibiotic for something other than a bacterial infection, or when patients don't take the medicine as instructed.
The medical director for the CDC program, Dr. Lauri Nicks, says antibiotics are over-prescribed for a variety of reasons. "We're seeing that doctors are over-prescribing because of patient expectations, (3)___________________________. And, of course, patients are demanding antibiotics in many cases from their providers as well."
