disadvantages of antibiotics
It is common in India to take antibiotics for cold or mild fever without doctor’s advice. But this habit is gradually leading to a world where antibiotics may no longer be effective even on common infections. In medical language it is called antimicrobial resistance. This means that the effect of medicines on the bacteria causing disease is reducing or getting eliminated.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), antimicrobial resistance was directly responsible for about 12.7 lakh deaths in the year 2019, while it was found to be associated with about 49.5 lakh deaths. Recently, WHO’s Global Antibiotic Resistance Surveillance Report has also pointed towards increasing resistance trends in blood stream infections and urinary tract infections. This data was collected from about 100 countries.
What is the risk of antimicrobial resistance in India?
Dr. Sufi Rumi, Medical Spokesperson, Jolly Healthcare, says that antimicrobial resistance is becoming clearly visible in everyday clinical practice. Infections that were previously easily treated now require stronger antibiotics and accurate testing.
The concern about antimicrobial resistance is even more serious in India, because the use of antibiotics without doctor’s advice is quite common here. Many reasons like self-medication, easy availability of medicines at medical stores, weak infection control system and delay in testing are increasing this problem.
Proving to be a big danger for these patients
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) is also now continuously monitoring AMR through its surveillance network. Special focus is being placed on resistant bacteria like E. coli, which are linked to sepsis, pneumonia, urine infections and serious infections in hospitals.
Dr. Hemant H.R., Senior Consultant and Head – Critical Care Medicine, Sparsh Hospital, Infantry Road, Bengaluru said that antibiotic resistance directly affects the safety of patients. Due to this, treatment of patients is also becoming a big problem. Resistant infection can turn even normal recovery into a long hospital stay, especially in the elderly, ICU patients, people admitted after surgery and patients suffering from serious diseases.
Do not take antibiotics without doctor’s advice
Hospitals will need to strengthen infection prevention, hand hygiene, antibiotic stewardship and culture-based treatment. At the patient level, it is very important to avoid self-medication and not leave the antibiotic course midway. Every unnecessary antibiotic used today could reduce future treatment options.
