Last Updated on March 8, 2024 by The Health Master
HYDERABAD: With more people gobbling antibiotics bought over-the-counter during the Covid-19 third wave, experts fear an increase in antibiotic resistance.
“While antibiotic resistance has been on the rise, of late, a lot of cases are being seen where we find it difficult to treat the patient due to the issue.
Since antibiotics have remained the same for decades, it is difficult to find a replacement and we are seeing cases where a patient has developed resistance to almost all antibiotics.
In many cases, patients have repeated antibiotic doses once prescribed by a doctor several times without consultation,” said a doctor from the state-run Chest Hospital.
Dr Mahesh Kumar, President of Healthcare Reform Doctors Association, said that bacteria develop resistance due to irrational and overuse of high-end antibiotics in bacterial infections. However, recent studies suggest antibiotics are ineffective in treatment of Covid-19, which is a viral infection.
“WHO and ICMR dropped antibiotics from treatment protocols for Covid-19 but these are being prescribed for every second patient even now,” he said.
The use of the antibiotic azithromycin in home care kits given by the state government might in fact fast-forward this issue, fear experts.
“The massive distribution of the so-called ‘Covid-19 home isolation kits’ with antibiotics contravenes the global and national guidelines and poses a long-term health risk to populations by aggravating antimicrobial resistance.
We have repeatedly told officials that if such massive distribution of antibiotics goes unchecked, then it will be devastating for decades,” said Dr Ranga Reddy Burri, president, Infection Control Academy of India.
He said there needs to be a push for rational use of antibiotics apart from testing for bacterial and viral infections before giving prescriptions.
“It is also high time to draft ‘state action plans to contain antimicrobial resistance’ in line with global action plans,” he added.
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