Introduction
Group 3
Antibiotic misuse refers to overuse or unnecessary use of antibiotics
whether by patients or healthcare professionals. It is one of the major
contributing factors to antimicrobial resistance, which occurs when
bacteria develop the ability to resist antimicrobials. (1)
Antibiotics are important medications. It would be difficult to
overstate the benefits of penicillin and other antibiotics in treating
bacterial infections, preventing the spread of disease and reducing
serious complications of disease. But some medications that used to be
standard treatments for bacterial infections are now less effective or
don't work at all. When an antibiotic no longer has an effect on a
certain strain of bacteria, those bacteria are said to be antibiotic
resistant. Antibiotic resistance is one of the world's most pressing
health problems. (2)
The overuse and misuse of antibiotics are key factors contributing to
antibiotic resistance. Moreover it can develop resistance to multiple
antibiotics and cause life-threatening infections. The general public,
doctors and hospitals all play a role in ensuring proper use of the
medications and minimizing the development of antibiotic
resistance.(2)
The overuse of antibiotics especially taking antibiotics even when
they're not the appropriate treatment promotes antibiotic resistance.
Antibiotics treat bacterial infections but not viral infections. If you
take an antibiotic when you actually have a viral infection, the
antibiotic attacks bacteria in your body — bacteria that are either
beneficial or at least not causing disease. This misdirected treatment
can then promote antibiotic-resistant properties in harmless bacteria
that can be shared with other bacteria, or create an opportunity for
potentially harmful bacteria to replace the harmless ones. Moreover,
there are various personal factors such as self-medication and lack of
knowledge of not differentiating viral from bacterial infections. (3)
Overuse of Antibiotics Increase Fatal Diarrhea Cases in Children,
antibiotics Can Upset Sensitive Gut Flora, Antibiotics convert Good
Bacteria to Bad Bacteria, It Increases Cases of Untreatable Gonorrhea
as well as Taking antibiotics too often or for the wrong reasons can
change bacteria so much that antibiotics don't work against them. This
is called bacterial resistance or antibiotic resistance. Some bacteria are
now resistant to even the most powerful antibiotics available.(4)
Antibiotic resistance is accelerated by the misuse and overuse of
antibiotics, as well as poor infection prevention and control. Steps can
be taken at all levels of society to reduce the impact and limit the
spread of resistance. Individuals can only use antibiotics when
prescribed by a certified health professional. Never demand antibiotics
if your health worker says you don’t need them. Always follow your
health worker’s advice when using antibiotics. There is a greater for
job for health professionals to reduce antibiotic resistance by only
prescribe and dispense antibiotics when they are needed, according to
current guidelines and by raising public awareness about by talking to
your patients about how to take antibiotics correctly, antibiotic
resistance and the dangers of misuse. Healthcare industry should
Invest in research and development of new antibiotics, vaccines,
diagnostics and other tools. (5)
 References
1) Abdelaziz, A., Tawfik, A., Rabie, K., Omran, M., Hussein, M.,
Abou-Ali, A. and Ahmed, A., 2019. Quality of Community
Pharmacy Practice in Antibiotic Self-Medication Encounters: A
Simulated Patient Study in Upper Egypt. Antibiotics, 8(2), p.35.
2) Mayo clinic. "Antibiotics *: Are you misusing them?. Retrieved 5
march 2021 Available from: https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthylifestyle/consumer-health/in-depth/antibiotics/art-20045720
3) krans b. What Every Parent Should Know About Antibiotics and
Superbugs [Internet]. Healthline. 2022 [cited 6 March 2022].
Available from: https://www.healthline.com/health-news/policydrug-resistant-superbugs-warrant-reduced-antibiotic-use-030713
4) M. coronan k. The Danger of Antibiotic Overuse (for Parents) Nemours KidsHealth [Internet]. Kidshealth.org. 2022 [cited 6
March 2022]. Available from:
https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/antibioticoveruse.html#:~:text=Some%20germs%20that%20were%20once,
%2C%20skin%20infections%2C%20and%20tuberculosis
5) Antibiotic resistance [Internet]. Who.int. 2022 [cited 6 March
2022]. Available from: https://www.who.int/news-room/factsheets/detail/antibiotic-resistance