Antibiotic resistance a concern

Editorial

LAST week a global public health event went by without much being mentioned on – World Antibiotics Awareness Week.
This event should have been marked with major activities as it is a global public health concern because of the misuse and abuse of antibiotics that could cause the human body to resist antibiotics.
For PNG, the message drummed home with this event should be focused on the dangers of purchasing antibiotics such as amoxycillin sold on the streets.
The Health Department has on countless times warned the public not to purchase medical drugs sold at places as they were not recognised.
Those sold on the streets were done without proper compliance certificates and pharmaceutical licences.
Antibiotics are an indispensable weapon in every physician’s arsenal but when prescribed unnecessarily for non-bacterial infections such as the common cold, as they too often are, they provide no benefit and create problems.
When an antibiotic is misused or overused it becomes ineffective
The antibiotics wipe out healthy bacteria and can cause side effects such as yeast infections and allergic reactions.
Worse still, they contribute to the rise of “superbugs” that resist antibiotic treatment.
Antibiotics either stop bacteria from reproducing or destroy them.
Before bacteria can multiply and cause symptoms, the body’s immune system usually kill them.
Health journals said our white blood cells attack harmful bacteria and, even if symptoms do occur, our immune system could usually cope and fight off the infection.
Antibiotic resistance is rising to dangerously high levels in all parts of the world and PNG is no exception.
Where antibiotics can be bought for human or animal use without a prescription, the emergence and spread of resistance is made worse.
Similarly, in countries without standard treatment guidelines, antibiotics are often over-prescribed by health workers and veterinarians and over-used by the public.
Antibiotic resistance is accelerated by the misuse and overuse of antibiotics, as well as poor infection prevention and control.
Steps can be taken at all levels of society to reduce the impact and limit the spread of resistance.
For example, the common cold or flu is commonly caused by a virus, so if it was a virus, by three to four days it would have cleared up without taking any medicine.
To prevent and control the spread of antibiotic resistance, individuals should use antibiotics when prescribed by a certified health professional; never demand antibiotics if the health worker says you do not need them; follow the health worker’s advice when using antibiotics and never share or use leftover antibiotics.
For the health professionals, they should only prescribe and dispense antibiotics when they are needed, according to current guidelines and talk to the patients about how to take antibiotics correctly, antibiotic resistance and the dangers of misuse.
It should be stressed that when infections can no longer be treated by first-line antibiotics, more expensive medicines should be used.
A longer duration of illness and treatment, often in hospitals, increases health care costs as well as the economic burden on families and societies.
Antibiotic resistance is putting the achievements of modern medicine at risk.
Without urgent action, we are heading for a post-antibiotic era as what health experts describe, in which common infections and minor injuries can once again kill.