Bacteria growing increasingly resistant to drugs

Drug resistant Overuse, incorrect and incomplete use of antibiotics is making bacteria immune to them

dna correspondent @dna

Bangalore: Those who take antibiotics incorrectly, or in incomplete dosages, apart from randomly popping pills for everything from viral flu to diarrhoea, stand a mounting chance of developing resistance to the drug, say health experts.

When a patient develops resistance towards a drug, he might need stronger antibiotics the next time he gets a bacterial infection, and the side-effects and costs will both be higher, they add.

Doctors say this issue of antibiotics resistance is growing rapidly with patients being prescribed the drug for every random ailment. Another reason for this trend is patients self-medicating and not completing the prescribed dosages.

“It is important to know whether an infection is caused by a bacteria or a virus,” says Dr Ashish Pathak, post doctoral fellow at the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden.

Experts say most common ailments like cold or sore throat are generally caused by viruses, and antibiotics do not work against them.

“Antibiotics are also used for diarrhoea without examining its cause,” says Dr Pathak.

A key reason behind the irrational usage of antibiotics, say experts, is drugs being sold over-the-counter.

The Antibiotic Stewardship Network in India (ASNI), comprising a group of doctors is going about building awareness on antibiotic resistance and overuse. Pharmacologist Dr Megha Sharma says the group wants to target doctors, medical students and general public on optimum use of the drugs and the ill-effects of incorrect use.

“We will hold sessions and workshops to educate people,” says Dr Sharma. ASNI recently held workshop for students and doctors of St John’s Medical College, Vydehi Hospital and Bangalore Medical College.

“We want to cover all medical colleges and establishments,” she adds.

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