Over the last decade, the number of antibiotic prescriptions has increased. Although antibiotics are helpful, too much antibiotics can be dangerous. Very often antibiotics are mistakenly prescribed to treat viruses when their purpose is to target bacteria. Antibiotics are a type of medicine that tends to kill microorganisms or bacteria. Examining the PBS documentary Hunting the Nightmare Bacteria and the article “US Government taps GlaxoSmithKline for New Antibiotics” by Ben Hirschler, as well as a few other articles, can help describe the problem of doctors incorrectly or excessively prescribing antibiotics, the which can lead to becoming harmful to the body. In the documentary Hunting the Nightmare Bacteria, journalist David Hoffman investigates this new incurable infection together with two individuals and a bacterial virus inside a hospital. The first person Hoffman investigates is Addie Rerecich of Arizona. She was treated for a staph infection with antibiotics, but other complications arose. Addie had a lung transplant, was given several antibiotics, but her body became pan-bacterial, not resistant to bacteria. Addie's life was on edge, she had to be put on life support and eventually received new lungs. The transplant helped Addie but it would take years before she could return to her normal self before the infection. The second individual is David Ricci; his leg was amputated in India after a train accident. The antibiotic treatment he received became toxic to his body, increasing the problems. While in India, he underwent surgery almost every day due to infections he was developing. Back in Seattle, doctors found the NDM-1 resistance gene in his body; The NDM-1 gene is resistant to almost all antib...... middle of paper ......ine. 2013. .Friedman JF, Lee GM, Kleinman KP, Finkelstein JA. “Acute care and antibiotic seeking for upper respiratory tract infections for children in day care centers: Parents' knowledge and day care center policies.” JAMA Pediatrics 157.4 (2003): 369-374. .Maanvi Singh. “Despite many warnings, antibiotics are still overprescribed.” NPR (2013). .McKenna, Maryn. “Imagining the post-antibiotic future.” Middle (n.d.). 17 5 2014. .—. "When we lose antibiotics, we're going to lose everything else." Strange (2013). .