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BY JULIO P. YAP JR.
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Wednesday, December 28, 2016
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ANTIBIOTICS are medicines used to prevent and treat bacterial infections. Antibiotic resistance occurs when bacteria change in response to the use of these medicines.
Bacteria, not humans or animals, become antibiotic-resistant.
These bacteria may infect humans and animals, and the infections they cause are harder to treat than those caused by non-resistant bacteria.
Antibiotic resistance leads to higher medical costs, prolonged hospital stays, and increased mortality.
The world urgently needs to change the way it prescribes and uses antibiotics. Even if new medicines are developed, without behavior change, antibiotic resistance will remain a major threat.
Behavior changes must also include actions to reduce the spread of infections through vaccination, hand washing, practicing safer sex, and good food hygiene.
Antibiotic resistance is one of the biggest threats to global health, food security, and development today.
Antibiotic resistance can affect anyone, of any age, in any country. Antibiotic resistance occurs naturally, but misuse of antibiotics in humans and animals is accelerating the process.
A growing number of infections — such as pneumonia, tuberculosis, and gonorrhea — are becoming harder to treat as the antibiotics used to treat them become less effective.
Antibiotic resistance leads to longer hospital stays, higher medical costs and increased mortality.
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 overused by the public.
Without urgent action, we are heading for a post-antibiotic era, in which common infections and minor injuries can once again kill.
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.
To prevent and control the spread of antibiotic resistance, individuals can: only use antibiotics when prescribed by a certified health professional; never demand antibiotics if your health worker says you don’t need them; always follow your health worker’s advice when using antibiotics; never share or use leftover antibiotics.
Prevent infections by regularly washing hands, preparing food hygienically, avoiding close contact with sick people, practising safer sex, and keeping vaccinations up to date.
To prevent and control the spread of antibiotic resistance, the agriculture sector can; only give antibiotics to animals under veterinary supervision; not use antibiotics for growth promotion or to prevent diseases; vaccinate animals to reduce the need for antibiotics and use alternatives to antibiotics when available.
Promote and apply good practices at all steps of production and processing of foods from animal and plant sources.
Improve biosecurity on farms and prevent infections through improved hygiene and animal welfare.
While there are some new antibiotics in development, none of them are expected to be effective against the most dangerous forms of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
Given the ease and frequency with which people now travel, antibiotic resistance is a global problem, requiring efforts from all nations and many sectors./PN
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