Kashish Sharma
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Written By: Kashish Sharma | Published : March 6, 2023 7:53 PM IST
Antibiotics are drugs used to treat bacterial infections. They don’t work on infections caused by other microbes such as viruses and fungi.
Antibiotic resistance is one of the leading causes of concern globally. A recent direction given by the Indian Medical Association (IMA) to doctors to avoid prescribing antibiotics in the wake of surging flu cases in the country tells how dire the situation might be. As per the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, in India, bacteria causing common infections such as urinary tract infections (UTIs) and bloodstream infections are becoming resistant to nearly all antibiotics.
According to CDC, antibiotic resistance is a combination of many factors- uncontrolled access to antibiotics, overdose and overuse of antibiotics and easy spread of communicable diseases. According to IMA, 70 per cent of diarrhoea is caused by viruses and an antibiotic might not be necessary.
A joint report by the United Nations, World Health Organization and World Organization for Animal Health states that drug-resistant diseases could cause 10 million deaths each year by 2050 and force up to 24 million people into extreme poverty by 2030. As per studies, multidrug-resistant bacteria superbugs have already led to increases in human disease and death.
Antibiotics are drugs used to treat bacterial infections. They don't work on infections caused by other microbes such as viruses and fungi. When antibiotics are overused in situations like being prescribed for viral infections, in cases of self-medication or when a person fails to practice medical adherence and might leave antibiotic courses midway, the bacteria that survive the attack tend to become stronger and resistant to these drugs. Genetically, this developed resistance against an antibiotic is transferrable between bacterial cells. This results in a situation where antibiotics will fail to work against common infections and doctors will be left with limited options to choose from, leading to severe illness and even death.
As per a global media outlet, antibiotic-resistant neonatal infections are responsible for the deaths of nearly 60,000 infants in India each year. As per a study conducted at Kasturba hospital of Maharashtra, doctors found that some of the main antibiotics were less than 15 per cent effective in treating illnesses caused by common bacteria such as E.coli and others. The situation can be life-threatening for critical patients in hospitals who might be at a higher risk of death. A report by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) shows that resistance to a powerful class of antibiotics called carbapenems (it defeats a number of pathogens) had risen by up to 10% in just one year alone.
Clinically, distinguishing bacterial infections from the ones caused by viruses can be a difficult task. During the COVID spread, there was a spike in antibiotic use. The purpose of prescribing antibiotics was to treat the secondary bacterial infections that might have co-existed with the flu. However, as the study progressed, it came to light that bacterial co-infection in COVID was less than 10 per cent. However, research has shown that prescribing antibiotics to COVID patients has remained high.
