Who Maps Dangerous Misuse Of Antibiotics
- by Joy Garcia
- in Medicine
- — Nov 14, 2018
A new report from the World Health Organization came to a paradoxical, but nonetheless worrying conclusion about antibiotic use world-wide: A rise in multi-drug-resistant bacteria can be traced to both some countries over-using antibiotics, AND some countries under-using them.
Discovered in the 1920s, antibiotics saved tens of millions of lives by effectively fighting those diseases triggered by bacteria, such as pneumonia, tuberculosis, and meningitis, among others. "As we strive to ensure that antibiotics are rightly used in the community and in health-care settings, one sector alone will not solve the problem".
Dr. Michael White, from the UConn School of Pharmacy, said individual underuse of antibiotics also plays a role.
Antibiotic use in animal agriculture comes under quite a bit of scrutiny with critics arguing that ranchers should be decreasing the use of antibiotics in beef production.
The DHB wants to get the message across that antibiotic resistance caused by the misuse or overuse of antibiotics is one of the biggest threats to global health today. Though the projection is not any country-specific, the number of such victims in the case of Bangladesh could be substantial given the current state of indiscriminate antibiotic consumption.
While it is positive to see more Australians aware of antibiotic resistance alongside a reduction in inappropriate prescribing, Mr Morris says the research also indicates many people lack awareness of the potential consequences antibiotic resistance can have on their health.
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"We spent last week reminding staff, patients and visitors about the importance of good hand hygiene and we'll be continuing to do this during World Antibiotic Awareness Week".
She, however, urged that antibiotics must be used wisely in humans and animals that really need them. Antibiotic resistance happens when bacteria change in such a way that antibiotics can no longer destroy them. This is grossly unfair because over prescription in affluent countries is causing bacterial strains to adapt, which can then move to poorer countries where there was too little antibiotic use to begin with.
"Findings from this report confirm the need to take urgent action, such as enforcing prescription-only policies, to reduce unnecessary use of antibiotics". Eventually, they become resistant to the drug, and the infections caused by them become hard to cure.Your Antibiotic Abuse is Taking India to a Primitive Age Without Antibiotics, Says Experts.
Antibiotics are needed only when the infection is caused by a bacteria.
Avoid prescribing antibiotics for upper respiratory tract infection. The resulting resistance that has built up over time has become a global health emergency leading the UN General Assembly to include AMR as a priority health issue to be tackled alongside responses to Ebola and HIV.
The WHO introduced a classification system a year ago, saying penicillin-type drugs were recommended as the first line of defense, and that other drugs, on the "reserve" list, were a last resort and only for use when absolutely necessary.
