The week of November 17-23, 2014, is "Get Smart About Antibiotics Week" – a campaign to highlight the problem of antibiotic resistance and the importance of appropriate antibiotic use. Every year at least 2 million Americans become infected with antibiotic resistant bacteria and at least 23,000 people die from these infections. This cold and flu season, the California Medical Association (CMA) Foundation's Alliance Working for Antibiotic Resistance Education (AWARE) project reminds physicians and patients to reduce the unnecessary use of antibiotics.

To assist physicians and other clinicians in these efforts, the CMA Foundation has launched the “AWARE Toolkit” mobile app containing clinical guidelines for appropriate antibiotic use. The app is free for both Android and iOS platforms in the Google Play and iTunes stores.

For more information about "Get Smart About Antibiotics Week" and for physician and patient resources, including the newly released 2015 AWARE Toolkit, visit www.aware.md.

Contact: CMA Foundation, (916) 779-6624 or vramirez@phcdocs.org