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Step 1
Understand that if you treat a microbe with an antibiotic, there is always a small part of it left that may mutate and become resistant to that particular antibiotic. This is the way the minor microbial strains become predominant and possibly resistant to a particular antibiotic.
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Step 2
Discuss the overuse of antibiotics with your physician. A viral infection may lead to a bacterial infection, which may require antibiotic therapy, although they aren't effective against the viral infection itself. Take antibiotics as prescribed when your physician considers them necessary.
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Step 3
Talk to your family about community acquired antibiotic resistant infections. Teach them to avoid using other people's personal care products, such as razors and toothbrushes, and not to share drinking or eating utensils.
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Step 4
Keep cuts and other open wounds covered when you are out in public. This is especially important for people involved in sports and the locker room scene. These dressing and showering areas need frequent and adequate cleaning, and all linens require laundering in hot water.
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Step 5
Teach your family that good hand washing is the first line of defense against antibiotic resistant infections. Whether handling raw foods, the shopping cart at the grocery store or the desk at school, these are all potentially contaminated areas where bacteria may thrive.
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Step 6
Remember that microbes require a portal of entry to invade your body. Keep wounds covered, wash your hands and think about what you put in your mouth (or any other body orifice for that matter).
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Step 7
Cook your food to the proper temperature and handle raw food safely, as recommended by the United States Food and Drug Administration website.
