Antibiotic Awareness Week: Shorter Duration Treatments Are Better

Antibiotics have saved millions of lives worldwide. Yet, this important weapon in fighting infectious diseases is at risk of losing its effectiveness because of antimicrobial resistance. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), antimicrobial resistance is an “urgent global public health threat that is estimated to cause more than 1.27 million deaths around the world and nearly 35,000 deaths in the United States each year.”

“Fighting Antimicrobial Resistance Takes All of Us” — the national theme for this year’s Antibiotics Awareness Week (Nov. 18-24) — highlights our collective role in addressing this threat. While the development of antimicrobial resistance is partly the result of the unnecessary or inappropriate use of antibiotics, there is growing evidence that the conventional advice to take a full course of antibiotics for seven to 10 days is a contributing factor. In addition, studies show that taking antibiotics for fewer days is as effective as longer durations for treating many bacterial infections and can result in fewer side effects for patients.

Take 5 in ’25

UW Medicine’s Antimicrobial Stewardship Team regularly updates its recommendations for treating infectious diseases based on new evidence. In 2025, it will launch a Take 5 in ’25 campaign to encourage UW Medicine clinicians to consider prescribing antibiotics for only five days. The campaign will focus initially on three of the most common bacterial infections — pneumonia, cellulitis and cystitis — while also creating broader awareness for shorter is better when it comes to antibiotics.

For more information on the appropriate use of antibiotics, including patient education materials, visit Antibiotic Prescribing and Use (CDC).