HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 20
(By Delegates Perdue, Sparks and Willis)
Urging West Virginia's health care professionals and managed care
plans in the State to adopt the recommendations of the Center
for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of
Pediatrics regarding judicious use of antibiotics.
Whereas, Antibiotic-resistant infections are more likely to
produce adverse health outcomes and are more costly to treat than
susceptible infections; and
Whereas,
Whereas, Antibiotic resistance is caused by the
overuse of antibiotics in general and overuse of selected agents in
particular; and
Whereas,
Over the past five years the rate of penicillin
resistance increased by more than three hundred percent and the
rate of cefotaxime resistance increased by more than one thousand
percent; and
Whereas,
Patients infected with antibiotic-resistant strains of
bacteria may require hospitalization and may be subject to an
increased rate of death; and
Whereas,
Growing antibiotic resistance leads to increased
pharmaceutical costs through inappropriate prescriptions for antibiotic agents and increased total health care costs through
additional hospitalization and other forms of medical care required
in the treatment of resistant strains of bacteria; and
Whereas,
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the
American Academy of Pediatrics have developed recommendations for
health care professionals regarding the best practices for the
judicious use of antibiotics; therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Delegates:
That the members of this body hereby urge all health care
professionals and managed care plans operating in West Virginia to
adopt the recommendations of the Center for Disease Control and
Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatrics regarding
judicious use of antibiotics in their practices and formularies;
and, be it
Further Resolved, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates is
hereby directed to forward a copy of this resolution to the
Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Resources, the
State Medical Association and the Health Care Association.