KARACHI:
Antibiotics are crucial for saving lives, and it’s a well-established fact that over half of hospitalised patients receive antibiotics. However, the unnecessary use of antibiotics has led to the emergence of multidrug-resistant strains, leading to a rapidly growing threat of antibiotic resistance.
Antibiotic resistance is a growing global health crisis. It’s concerning to see antibiotics overused, sometimes inappropriately prescribed for viral illnesses where they have no effect. This misuse significantly contributes to the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, making infections more challenging and costly to treat. For example, typhoid, which was once manageable with simple medications, no longer responds to such treatments. Similarly, malaria, which used to be treatable with chloroquine, is now resistant to it. These issues are primarily due to insufficient knowledge among healthcare professionals and the absence of strict guidelines for the safe use of antibiotics.
If this trend continues, new organisms will become resistant and we may find ourselves without any effective treatment options. Healthcare authorities must ensure the wise and sensible use of medications to prevent the further proliferation of antibiotic resistance. They should inform practitioners about the responsible use of antibiotics and implement firm policies in this regard.
Fizzah Ashfaque
Karachi
Published in The Express Tribune, October 31st, 2023.
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