Antibiotic
resistance is a worldwide public health problem that continues
to grow
It occurs
when strains of bacteria in the human body become resistant
to antibiotics due to improper use, misuse and abuse of
antibiotics.
How
many people does it affect?
In hospitals,
190 million doses of antibiotics are administered each day.
Among non-hospitalized patients, more than 133 million courses
of antibiotics are prescribed by doctors each year. It is
estimated that 50% of these latter prescriptions are unnecessary
since they are being prescribed for colds, coughs and other
viral infections.
Common
causes
Many
individuals either expect or ask their physicians to prescribe
antibiotics when they feel sick or have a common cold. What
individuals must realize is that antibiotics are intended
to treat bacterial infections, not viral infections. And
many times a common cold is a viral infection.
The
only true way to know if your cold or sickness is a bacterial
infection and whether it should be treated with antibiotics,
is to have your physician test it. If you have a sore throat
your physician should take a throat culture test. If the
results of the test indicate that a bacterial infection
is present, then antibiotics should be prescribed to treat
the infection. There is no sure way of knowing whether a
cold or sickness is a bacterial infection without a test.
The
unnecessary use, misuse, and the abuse of antibiotics has
led to the development of antibiotic resistance. The most
common misuse and abuse of antibiotics are:
•
|
Physicians
prescribing antibiotics for viral infections.
|
•
|
Not
finishing the full dosage of the antibiotic. When
a prescription of antibiotics is not finished (even
leaving one or two pills), it leaves some bacteria
alive and "resistant" to future antibiotic
treatment.
|
How
can it be prevented?
Both
physicians and patients have a role to play in decreasing
the misuse of antibiotics.
Patients
must realize that antibiotics should only be prescribed
when there is a bacterial infection present, not when a
viral infection is present. Patients must also realize that
the only way for a doctor to know for certain whether a
bacterial infection is present is by doing a test (e.g.,
throat culture). Often patients place heavy demands on their
physicians to prescribe antibiotics when they are not needed.
Therefore patients must stop their demands for antibiotics
when a viral infection is present. Patients should ask their
doctor if they have a viral or bacterial infection and which
tests have been done to prove this.
Physicians
too, must change their prescribing practices and only prescribe
antibiotics for their patients when a bacterial infection
is present.
