Will the anthrax scare convice consumers to seek antiobitcs?

Even though there haven’t been many confirmed cases of exposure to anthrax, there were still many consumers who seeked for antibiotics. Can you blame them? If a person was diagnosed with anthrax, there would be serious medical problems and even a low chance of survival. The question is, were the antibiotics effective?

The antibiotics that were most commonly prescribed for anthrax were either Cipro or doxycycline. Many people went to their physicians instead of immediately turning to antibiotics for help. Medical evaluations have argued that even though antibiotics are effective, they might not be the best option for anthrax prevention.

Dr. Charles Aswad, the executive vice president of the Medical Society of the State of New York (MSSNY), claims, “When people are frightened or teased by the claims of the effect of a drug such as Viagra, they’ve just got to have it. When they purchase that drug online, they don’t know if they’re getting a legitimate or bogus product.”

The AMA made a statement on Cipro. They claim, “There is no indication for the widespread prescription of antibiotics to prevent anthrax, and no indication for the prescription of antibiotics to have on hand in case of a future accident.”

The AMA claims that there must be a minimum standard of medical care when prescribing drugs over the internet. These standards include:

• A follow-up to assess the therapeutic outcome

• An attempt to establish a reliable medical history

• Necessary information about the risks and benefits of the prescribed medication

• In order to determine whether there actually is a medical problem, an examination of the patient is necessary

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) urge consumers to:

• Avoid surfing medical websites that have no access to a registered pharmacist to answer questions
   
  Determine whether a web site is a licensed pharmacy in good standing by checking with the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy

• Have caution to websites that offer “new cures” for serious disorders or a quick cure-all for a wide range of ailments.

• Sides that do not identify with whom you are dealing and don not provide a phone number and an address should be avoided