Self Care Health Facts Column
By John Bell – 4 July 2012
No.
1314
http://www.psa.org.au/selfcare
Think you need an antibiotic? Think again
Surely, it will have escaped no one’s attention that this year Queen Elizabeth II is celebrating her
Diamond Jubilee; she first came to the throne in 1952. It was some 12 years earlier the experiment which
showed the effectiveness of penicillin was carried out. The results were published in the Lancet in August
1940; and by the end of World War II there was enough penicillin to treat every soldier who needed it.
Most of us alive today have known only one British Monarch. And indeed most of us have lived in an era
where we are able to rely on antibiotics to treat serious infections. Whilst the monarchy in Britain seems
likely to continue for the foreseeable future, the future availability of effective antibiotics is not so certain.
The story of the discovery of penicillin is generally pretty well known. In 1928 the Scottish bacteriologist,
Alexander Fleming, is said to have luckily noticed that a mould had prevented the growth of bacteria in a
dish in his laboratory. What is certain is that it was the team headed by Australian Howard Florey and
German Ernst Chain which identified and produced the active antibacterial ingredient. Unfortunately
bacterial resistance to penicillin emerged within a few years of widespread use.
Now, due to prolonged inappropriate use of almost all antibiotics, resistance is such a serious issue that
the World Health Organization predicts a return towards the health problems of the pre-antibiotic era
within a decade. This was a time when safe surgical procedures were almost impossible, when the
simplest of cuts and grazes could lead to amputations, and apparently mild respiratory infections would
result in death. It has become urgent to institute more rational use of these critically important medicines.
We all share responsibility; and we can all play a part in what could and should be a solution. Many of us
expect, and demand, antibiotics from our doctor for comparatively simple infections which do not need
antibiotics. Many of these infections are viral in origin and will never respond to antibiotics in any case.
Inappropriate and unnecessary use of antibiotics causes resistance, not just in the wider population, but
also to individuals who take them. Studies show that people prescribed antibiotics are twice as likely to
develop their own resistance to that drug.
Effective treatment of symptoms is usually all that’s necessary for respiratory tract infections such as the
common cold. Choose products which are specific for your needs; the proprietary combination products
are not necessarily the best. Ask your pharmacist to recommend what’s most appropriate.
Of course, you can minimise the need for antibiotics with some simple and sensible lifestyle and
behaviour strategies. Make sure your (and your children’s and grandchildren’s) immunisation schedule is
up to date. It’s not too late to get a flu vaccine this year.
And help prevent the transmission of infection by regular hand washing, especially before preparing food,
and the use of alcohol gels cleansers. If you have to cough or sneeze, do so into a disposable tissue or
the bend in the elbow – not into your hand.
This year the National Prescribing Service (NPS) has begun a campaign to encourage us all to become
“resistance fighters”. You can learn more about how to get involved at the website www.nps.org.au. You
can also get more advice from pharmacies providing the Pharmaceutical Society’s “Self Care” health
information. The “fact cards” titled Antibiotics, Colds and Flu, Coughs and Ear Problems are especially
useful. For the location of the pharmacy nearest you providing this material, check out the
Pharmaceutical Society website www.psa.org.au ( click on Self Care, then Find a Self Care Pharmacy) or
phone 1300 369 772.
 Pharmaceutical Society of Australia