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Report from the
Iowa Antibiotic Resistance TaskForce

On Wednesday, June 5, the Iowa Antibiotic Resistance Task Force released some good news at three news conferences around the state.

This good news - 2001 surveillance data showed the percent of children aged five and younger suffering from serious Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus) infections due to penicillin resistant strains has been cut in half (42% to 21% of all cases) over the last year. Pneumococcus causes some of the most common, severe childhood infections, such a pneumonia and meningitis, and is a common cause of ear infections.

Three factors may have impacted this apparent decline: 1) physicians may be more judicious about prescribing antibiotics; 2) parents may be less likely to be demanding antibiotics, as they may be more aware of the risks associated with their overuse; and 3) more and more children may be receiving the pneumococcal vaccine since it's introduction in the fall of 2000. For the last three years, laboratories around the state have submitted bacterial isolates to the University of Iowa Hygienic Lab. These isolates are in turn sent to the Antibiotic Research Unit of the University of Iowa College of Medicine to undergo antibiotic resistance testing. This is part of a nationwide effort to track antibiotic resistance to help ensure antibiotics continue to be useful. This also demonstrates the importance of conducting surveillance on these types of infections, and the critical role clinical laboratories play in the overall health of Iowans. Thanks for everyone's help in addressing this health problem and please keep up the good work!

Iowa Department of Public Health
Center for Acute Disease Epidemiology
800-362-2736


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