Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Department of Health and Human Services

CDC News Conference 
Antibiotic Resistance 

September 17, 2003 
Contact: CDC, Division of Media Relations 
(404) 639-3286 

WHO: Dr. Richard Besser, MD, Medical Director, Get Smart: Know When Antibiotics Work campaign; acting chief 
of the Meningitis and Special Pathogens Branch in the National Center for Infectious Diseases at the 
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 
Peter J. Pitts, Associate FDA Commissioner for External Relations, Food and Drug Administration 
Michael O. Fleming, M.D., president-elect of the American Academy of Family Physicians; 
family physician in Shreveport, La. 
Dr. Margaret B. Rennels, MD, FAAP, Professor of Pediatrics, University of Maryland School of Medicine 

WHAT: Antibiotic resistance — one of the world’s most pressing public health problems. Public officials 
and medical experts will discuss the need for appropriate antibiotic use and unveil CDC’s Get 
Smart: Know When Antibiotics Work campaign. 

WHEN: Wednesday, September 17, 2003 
9:00 a.m., CT 
Brief remarks followed by Q & A 

WHERE: Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC) 
McCormick Place (2301 S. Lake Shore Dr.) 
Lakeside Center Room E 270 
Phone: (312) 791-7000 

NOTES: A video on this subject will be fed via satellite at 2:00 p.m. The coordinates are as 
follows: 
Telstar 6, C Band 
Transponder 9 
Dual audio 6.2/6.8 
ICAAC Session of Special Interest: Dr. Karen Kiang’s poster on “Changes in Knowledge and Decisions 
Among Primary Care Clinicians Regarding Antibiotic Use for Upper Respiratory Infections — Wisconsin 
versus Minnesota, 1999-2002” (Session 159, L-1602) 
For more information about antibiotic resistance and the Get Smart: Know When Antibiotics Work 
campaign, please call (404) 371-5416 or visit www.cdc.gov/getsmart. 

CDC protects people's health and safety by preventing and controlling diseases and injuries; enhances health decisions 
by providing credible information on critical health issues; and promotes healthy living through strong partnerships with 
local, national, and international organizations. 

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES