Pet owners are at risk of catching antibiotic-resistant infections such as MRSA and E.coli from their dogs and cats, Public Health England (PHE) has warned. Extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis is one example; a few rare cases may be treatable but the vast majority of patients die before any treatment can be found. Six of 21 countries reported having national committees on antibiotic use, while only four reported having national strategies to fight antibiotic resistance.
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The survey report made available to the Ghana News Agency by Gregory Härtl, WHO Communications Officer, said antibiotic resistance happens when bacteria change and become resistant to the antibiotics used to treat the infections they cause. Antibiotics are taken for a shorter period of time, and it’s more economical for drug companies to make drugs that are taken for a long time.
Consumers need to know that viral infections, the cause of most colds and coughs, don’t respond to antibiotics, she said. While some people may request these drugs when they’re sick, any good doctor will refuse and prescribe an appropriate medication, but it’s better to not even ask in the first place.
Across 12 nations – China, Egypt, India, Barbados, Mexico, Indonesia, Nigeria, Mexico, Serbia, Russia, South Africa, Vietnam and Sudan, 10,000 people were surveyed by the World Health Organization and what emerged from the survey was worrying misconceptions. “It is reaching dangerously high levels in all parts of the world”, says Dr Margaret Chan, WHO Director-General, in launching the survey findings today.
Some 75% of the respondents think that antibiotic resistance meant the body being resistant to the drugs. And in the supermarket, brands of meat and poultry raised without antibiotics are becoming more widespread.
“Online sale of medicines, especially antibiotics, poses an increased risk of adverse drug reactions/side effects and antibiotic resistance”.
While 75% agree that antibiotic resistance is one of the biggest problems in the world, 72% of respondents believe experts will solve the problem before it becomes too serious. Overuse of antibiotics is the main factor contributing to this problem.
Dr Diane Ashiru-Oredope, pharmacist for the Antimicrobial Resistance programme at PHE said: “Many people do not realise that antibiotic resistant bacteria can pass between humans and animals and vice versa”.
State health officials are collaborating with Butler University and the Indiana Coalition for Responsible Antibiotic Use on a project to educate healthcare providers and their patients about the dangers of overprescribing and overusing antibiotics.
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“More than three quarters (76 pc) of respondents report having taken antibiotics within the past six months”.
