Sixty-five percent of Americans characterize antibiotic resistance as a public health problem, according to a survey commissioned by Research!America in collaboration with the Infectious Disease Society of America.
The survey polled 1,004 U.S. adults.
Here are five survey findings:
1. A vast majority — 81 percent — are concerned about the implications of antibiotic resistance on infection treatment.
2. Seventy-three percent agree that the federal government should provide incentives to increase private sector investment in the development of new antibiotics, and 83 percent said pharmaceutical companies should develop more antibiotics.
3. Around 92 percent of adults polled said that physicians and other healthcare professionals should only prescribe antibiotics when needed.
4. Thirty-seven percent believe antibiotics are effective for treating viral infections, but they are not.
5. Additionally, 29 percent would be dissatisfied if their physician did not prescribe an antibiotic to treat their child's viral infection.