Daily Times

“Misuse of antibiotics is the most urgent threat to public health as it will lead to illnesses that were once easily treatable with antibiotics,” said doctors to mark the ongoing World Antibiotic Awareness Week on Friday.

Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences Assistant Professor & Infectious Diseases Consultant Dr Nasim Akhtar said, “Antibiotic resistance occurs when bacteria develops the ability to defeat the drugs designed to kill them. When bacteria becomes resistant, antibiotics cannot fight them, leading to dangerous infections,” she added.

“When antibiotics fail to work, the consequences are longer-lasting illnesses, more doctor visits or extended hospital stays and the need for more expensive and toxic antibiotics. In some cases, the antibiotic-resistant infections can lead to serious disability or even death,” Dr Nasim Akhtar added. As per World Health Organisation estimates, antimicrobial resistance is expected to cause 10 million deaths in the next 35 years. The estimated cost of management will be $100 trillion by 2050 if nothing is done to reverse the trend.

She added that all stakeholders, including the government, healthcare professionals, media and advocacy bodies, will have to play their role to increase the awareness about misuse and overuse of antibiotics which is one of the biggest health challenges of modern era.

Published in Daily Times, November 17^th 2018.