Poorva Chavan
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Written By: Poorva Chavan | Updated : November 18, 2015 10:35 AM IST
There has been worldwide panic about antibiotic resistance but the main problem is the widespread misunderstanding about this condition. The World Health Organisation on Tuesday has warned that antibiotic resistance can turn common ailments into killers as it has reached dangerous levels, reported The Times Of India. Recently, the WHO had warned 11 member countries in the South-East Asian region to address the issue immediately. Dr Poonam Khetrapal regional director of WHO South-East Asia region has said that if immediate actions are not taken to curb the problem, there's a possibility of the return of a pre-antibiotic era and all achievements to prevent and control communicable diseases will be reversed.
What is antibiotic resistance?
Antibiotic r sistance is a condition where bugs become immune to existing drugs and minor injuries and common infections turn fatal. It is a natural process, but overuse and misuse of the drugs speed up resistance. The WHO has also alarmed about the dangerous behaviour of these bugs after the results of a worldwide study exhibited the widespread misconceptions about the threat. (Read: Is taking antibiotics too often bad for your health? (Disease Query))
Why is it a threat?
WHO chief Margaret Chan said that the rise of antibiotic resistance is a global health crisis and more and more governments recognise it as the greatest threat to public health. She also said that antibiotic resistance is reaching dangerously high levels and superbugs haunt hospitals and Intensive Care Units (ICUs) all around the world. She warned that the world is heading towards a post-antibiotic era where common infections will again become deadly. (Read: Antibiotic resistance why it is more dangerous than you think)
Should we stop using antibiotics?
Antibiotics are needed to protect premature babies, people going through cancer treatment or those undergoing routine surgery. But if antibiotic resistance is left unchecked it will mean the end of modern medicine.
There are many of us who believe antibiotics can be used to treat common colds and flu. The main problem here is that we fail to realise that antibiotics have no effect on viruses. Also, many people stop using antibiotics as soon as they feel better and do not complete the prescribed course of treatment. This misconception can be highly dangerous as uncompleted treatment increase resistance and also threaten the recovery of the patient. A recent WHO survey that was conducted across 12 countries also highlighted serious flaws in public understanding of this problem. The survey showed that 66% of those questioned had a wrong belief that there's no risk of antibiotic resistance for people who take their antibiotics as prescribed. And around 50% thought antibiotic resistance was only a problem faced by people who take the drugs regularly. But the fact is that anyone, of any age and anywhere, can get an antibiotic-resistant infection.
Keeping these facts in mind most of should stop the unprecedented use of antibiotics. Rely on the doctor's prescription and do not self-diagnose and medicate and complete your course of prescribed medicines. (Read: Honey now helps fight antibiotic resistance too!)
Photo source: Getty images
