Indiscriminate use of antibiotics a major health threat, says doctors

Hyderabad:A review of the increasing cases of antibiotic resistance, carried out by the Indian Medical Association. Dr K. K. Aggarwal, president of the IMA, says that its making difficult for Doctors as 12 classes of Bacteria have gained anti-microbial resistance especially Urinary tract infections, typhoid, tuberculosis, gonorrhoea, e-coli infections and the load of bacteria is very high and combating it with medicines is not working.
According to the news reported by Deccan Chronicle, Further classification of the 12 classes of bacteria has been done to ensure that the physicians are aware of the increasing resistance and can employ the use of second and third generations of antibiotics. They are classified into critical, Medium and low level.
On conditions of anonymity, one of the senior doctors had said that “The second and third generation drugs are expensive and increase the cost of treatment. These drugs are also less effective and have more side-effects. There is increased hospital stay, probability of adverse drug reactions and also risk of therapeutic failure. Hence the best way to deal with the problem is to curb the prescription of antibiotics for viral infections, common cold and fevers.”
Public health awareness about the use of antibiotics is the need of the hour. One of the senior Physician, Dr G. Srinivas Rao says that those who prefer long list of medicines from the doctors must understand that there is only one tablet for the disease and the rest prescribed are vitamins and supplements. Dr. Rao also says that “Doctors are under pressure to prescribe more medications but this trend has to change. Antibiotics have to be strongly curtailed from the ground level clinical practice to tackle the resistance. This means doctors, quacks, and also pharmacists who give over the counter drugs, must not be allowed to prescribe so freely.”The meat we consume also contains antibiotics as it is given to cattle, this must be curbed. To ensure that anti-microbial resistance is reduced, awareness is required for human, animal and environmental control of antibiotics.