Doc Alan
4th May 2014, 22:39
• Only use antibiotics when prescribed by a doctor.
• Don’t demand them against clinical advice ( such as for common colds in UK ; antimalarials for any fever in Africa without first confirming the cause ).
• Obtain them from a reliable pharmacist.
• Complete the full prescription, even if you feel better.
• Don’t share antibiotics or use left-over prescriptions.
• Take my advice or read more … although you may well not wish to read over 350 pages written in a new World Health Organization report and by the English Chief Medical Officer !
http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/112642/1/9789241564748_eng.pdf
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Drugs-Dont-Work-Penguin-Special/dp/0241969190
.
• Both make the point that resistance to our current range of antibiotics is happening – in England, the Philippines, and every region of the world. It can affect anyone, any age, in any country.
• Not your problem ? Inappropriate use of antibiotics, wrong antibiotics, fake antibiotics, or not completing a course of the “ right “ antibiotics, can lead to resistance which may affect an individual when they genuinely need treatment.
• No new class of antibacterial drugs has been discovered for over a quarter of a century, and the bugs are fighting back. They mutate / change naturally. The process is speeded up by using antibiotics inappropriately. It’s not just bacteria like “ MRSA “, but also other causes of infection, like parasites, viruses and fungi – in community and hospitals.
• Each new anti-infective drug has been followed by resistance to it. Drug companies are not well motivated to find new drugs - in part because they are not as lucrative as, say, anti-cancer drugs.
• In the Philippines :-
1. Whether or not antibiotics should be “ prescription only “ they may still be available over-the-counter and online.
2. Generic drugs ( containing the active ingredient but cheaper than the branded drugs ) are – with some justification – not always trusted by patients, doctors or pharmacists. Branded drugs are relatively more often bought and prescribed than in other countries such as the UK, USA and India. Even generic drugs are relatively expensive.
3. Filipinos may prefer other remedies, and / or can’t afford a health professional and the drugs they might recommend.
4. There’s a growing threat of counterfeit / fake drugs – not only antibiotics, but also anti-cancer agents and others like “ Viagra “ ( not only in the Philippines ).
• We’ve been abusing antibiotics because we take them for granted – as patients, healthcare workers, travellers, and in our food ( overuse in agriculture, feeding animals / fish ) . Common ailments and operations are becoming more serious and difficult, if not fatal. Bloodstream infections ( sepsis ), diarrhoea, pneumonia, urinary tract infections and sexually transmitted diseases like gonorrhoea are cause for concern - in all regions of the world.
• Antibiotic resistance causes people to be sick for longer, increases risk of death, and increases healthcare cost ( whoever is paying ), length of stay in hospitals, and intensive care requirements.
• Of concern, each probably under-reported, are :-
1. Multidrug-resistant TB.
2. Poor-quality antimalarial drugs.
3. Anti-HIV drug resistance.
4. Antibacterial resistance in food-producing animals ( a link between antibiotic use in farm animals and antibiotic-resistant human infection is not proven ).
• Measures - such as declaring non-prescription antibiotics illegal ; access to clean water; infection control in hospitals and surgeries; more vaccination ; reducing antibiotic use in agriculture ; public health campaigns ; basic systems to track and monitor the problem - may all help and reduce the need for antibiotics. But the problem needs to be taken more seriously – not just in my opinion !
• Don’t demand them against clinical advice ( such as for common colds in UK ; antimalarials for any fever in Africa without first confirming the cause ).
• Obtain them from a reliable pharmacist.
• Complete the full prescription, even if you feel better.
• Don’t share antibiotics or use left-over prescriptions.
• Take my advice or read more … although you may well not wish to read over 350 pages written in a new World Health Organization report and by the English Chief Medical Officer !
http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/112642/1/9789241564748_eng.pdf
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Drugs-Dont-Work-Penguin-Special/dp/0241969190
.
• Both make the point that resistance to our current range of antibiotics is happening – in England, the Philippines, and every region of the world. It can affect anyone, any age, in any country.
• Not your problem ? Inappropriate use of antibiotics, wrong antibiotics, fake antibiotics, or not completing a course of the “ right “ antibiotics, can lead to resistance which may affect an individual when they genuinely need treatment.
• No new class of antibacterial drugs has been discovered for over a quarter of a century, and the bugs are fighting back. They mutate / change naturally. The process is speeded up by using antibiotics inappropriately. It’s not just bacteria like “ MRSA “, but also other causes of infection, like parasites, viruses and fungi – in community and hospitals.
• Each new anti-infective drug has been followed by resistance to it. Drug companies are not well motivated to find new drugs - in part because they are not as lucrative as, say, anti-cancer drugs.
• In the Philippines :-
1. Whether or not antibiotics should be “ prescription only “ they may still be available over-the-counter and online.
2. Generic drugs ( containing the active ingredient but cheaper than the branded drugs ) are – with some justification – not always trusted by patients, doctors or pharmacists. Branded drugs are relatively more often bought and prescribed than in other countries such as the UK, USA and India. Even generic drugs are relatively expensive.
3. Filipinos may prefer other remedies, and / or can’t afford a health professional and the drugs they might recommend.
4. There’s a growing threat of counterfeit / fake drugs – not only antibiotics, but also anti-cancer agents and others like “ Viagra “ ( not only in the Philippines ).
• We’ve been abusing antibiotics because we take them for granted – as patients, healthcare workers, travellers, and in our food ( overuse in agriculture, feeding animals / fish ) . Common ailments and operations are becoming more serious and difficult, if not fatal. Bloodstream infections ( sepsis ), diarrhoea, pneumonia, urinary tract infections and sexually transmitted diseases like gonorrhoea are cause for concern - in all regions of the world.
• Antibiotic resistance causes people to be sick for longer, increases risk of death, and increases healthcare cost ( whoever is paying ), length of stay in hospitals, and intensive care requirements.
• Of concern, each probably under-reported, are :-
1. Multidrug-resistant TB.
2. Poor-quality antimalarial drugs.
3. Anti-HIV drug resistance.
4. Antibacterial resistance in food-producing animals ( a link between antibiotic use in farm animals and antibiotic-resistant human infection is not proven ).
• Measures - such as declaring non-prescription antibiotics illegal ; access to clean water; infection control in hospitals and surgeries; more vaccination ; reducing antibiotic use in agriculture ; public health campaigns ; basic systems to track and monitor the problem - may all help and reduce the need for antibiotics. But the problem needs to be taken more seriously – not just in my opinion !