Bytheway...
Antibiotics are not always the answer
ON MORE than one occasion last week I was badgered for antibiotics. Patients have ‘important meetings’, ‘romantic weekends away’, ‘work deadlines’... I’ve heard it all. They daren’t be sick and how dare I stand in the way of them and that seven-day course of antibiotics. I’m seen as the villain if I don’t dish out drugs.
The majority of us are going to get sick at some point this winter, some moreso than others. The place is teeming with viruses, not bacteria. If you come down with a virus, antibiotics aren’t going to help you get back up again any faster.
What they will do is react to beneficial bacteria in your body, which can then make these bacteria more resistant to antibiotics. Think of it as a case of mistaken identity, the bacteria involved aren’t happy they were targeted so that means not only will they be on the alert in the future, they also have the capability of passing information to their fellow bacteria. A simplistic version of the antibiotic food chain I admit, but one that I hope highlights that unnecessary use of antibiotics not only doesn’t do any good but can potentially cause significant harm.
By 2025, it is anticipated that one million people in Europe will be dying per year due to ineffective antibiotics. By 2050, an estimated 10 million people a year will die globally as a result of our current antibiotic overuse. Scientists call this ‘antibiotic Armageddon’.
We aren’t producing enough antibiotics to deal with so called superbugs and the antibiotics we are currently using in clinical practice are being used inappropriately. Chinese scientists said only last week they have identified a germ that can hold its own against what is considered to be the atomic bomb of antibiotics. Scientists tell us that they aren’t worrying about if this is going to impact the population but rather when it is going to affect us. A lastditch drug called Colistin isn’t smart enough for this new supergerm. A supergerm bred though our bad behaviour with antibiotics.
So what can we do? We will keep researching to find better antibiotics but this is a slow process. We can police antibiotics used in the agricultural industry and prevent them getting into the human food chain. As patients and healthcare professionals, we can also be mindful of the importance of completing an antibiotic course and choosing the least potent antibiotic available to tackle the problem.
But ultimately, when faced with a simple infection, we need to seek an alternative. If doctors keep prescribing, we will revert back to the pre-antibiotic era. The drugs won’t work and people will die. Do your bit — don’t demand antibiotics ‘just in case’.