Reps. Dennis, Kolb, Meisner, Tobocman, Murphy, Hardman, Minore, Farrah, Daniels, Stallworth, Gleason, Vagnozzi, Spade, Law, Clack, Woodward, Gieleghem, Zelenko, Waters, Phillips, Condino, Accavitti, Wojno, Paletko, Plakas, Bieda, Brandenburg, Byrum, Caswell, Ehardt, Jamnick, LaSata, O'Neil, Rivet, Sak and Shaffer offered the following resolution:

            House Resolution No. 122.

            A resolution to encourage the judicious use of antibiotics.

            Whereas, Antibiotics have saved lives for more than 50 years; and

            Whereas, Antibiotics are an important weapon against infectious bacterial diseases that harm children, senior citizens, and people of all ages and walks of life; and

            Whereas, Antibiotics overuse has led to antibiotic resistance that is destroying antibiotic effectiveness, and these bacteria represent a significant threat to the health of individuals whom they infect; and

            Whereas, Infections with resistant bacteria increase the cost and complexity of treating infections that previously were easily treated; and

            Whereas, In 2002, the first appearance of a Staphylococcus aureus bacterium that is resistant to Vancomycin – often considered the best and, at times, the last defense against such infections – occurred in Michigan; and

            Whereas, The American Society of Microbiology (ASM) presented in the Findings and Conclusions of the Report of the ASM Task Force on Antibiotic Resistance that treating antibiotic resistance in people costs Americans more than $4 billion annually; and

            Whereas, The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the Annals of Internal Medicine have published recommendations for health care professionals regarding best practices for the judicious use of antibiotics.  The Michigan Department of Community Health and the Michigan Antibiotic Resistance Reduction (MARR) Coalition are engaged in an effort to track antibiotic resistance and encourage appropriate antibiotic use; now, therefore, be it

            Resolved by the House of Representatives, That we urge health care professionals in Michigan to follow the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention regarding the best use of antibiotics in their practices and formularies; urge the people of Michigan to talk with their health care practitioners about wise antibiotic use; and encourage the Michigan Department of Community Health and the MARR Coalition to increase their efforts to educate Michigan citizens and health care providers about the appropriate use of antibiotics; and be it further

            Resolved, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to the Michigan Department of Community Health and the Michigan Antibiotic Resistance Reduction Coalition.