Frequent use of antibiotics is creating stronger germs, posing a serious threat to public health with some bacteria already ‘resistant’ to common antibiotics, experts say. In this context, as most of the people in the country live in remote villages, they usually take treatment from quacks who prescribe many types of antibiotics.
As a result, many patients who take antibiotics fail to recover from their illness. Besides, when bacteria become resistant to antibiotics, it is often harder and more expensive to treat the infection. Loss of ability to treat serious bacterial infections is a major threat to public health. Antibiotics are designed to fight bacteria by targeting specific parts of the bacteria’s structure or cellular machinery. However, over time, bacteria can defeat antibiotics in the following ways When bacteria are initially exposed to an antibiotic, those most susceptible to the antibiotic will die quickly, leaving any surviving bacteria to pass on their resistant features to succeeding generations.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has already identified the phenomenon of antimicrobial activity against bacteria as a 'silent epidemic'. They assert that if no action is taken now, there will be no antibiotics in the future. Experts say, selling antibiotics without a prescription should be stopped. Pharmacies should have trained drug sellers. And if physicians give antibiotics, they must complete the course.
Antibiotics have entered our bodies through various foods. Excessive antibiotic consuming causes the germs in the body to slowly become resistant to antibiotics. Nutrition specialist and Professor Nazma Akter said, when people eat the meat, fish, etc. of animals, these antibiotic-resistant germs enter the human body through food. Then when people take antibiotics during their illness, it no longer works.
Professor Nazma Akter further said, since the application of antibiotics is increasing in the production of human food, they must be supplied after scientifically processing food.
Later, she suggested, appropriate steps should be taken to ensure the safe use of all drugs, including antibiotics. These effective antibiotics are mainly used to treat various types of infections, including urinary tract infections, pneumonia and for healing wounds. As a result, other drugs are now losing their effectiveness.
Therefore, researchers saying, children and hospitalized intensive care units (ICU’s) are at high risk. Head of the Department of Microbiology of Institute of Epidemiology Disease Control And Research IEDCR (IEDCR) Dr Zakir Hossain Habib said, “The effectiveness of at least 17 antibiotics in the country has declined over the past few decades.”
He said, “They (drugs) show antibiotic-resistant, which means that bacteria become resistant to antibiotics and the drug no longer works to kill the specific bacteria. It is very unfortunate to note that the tendency of using non-conventional antibiotics has tremendously increased.” Earlier, raising serious health concerns for the country’s next generation, a Dhaka University research for the second time found traces of antiobiotics in samples of packaged milk available in kitchen markets and grocery shops across the country. The findings of the second test show traces of detergent and antibiotics in milk samples.
