Due to misuse, overuse, and misinformation, we have developed a serious resistance to antibiotics. This makes them less effective against bacterial infections, which will soon become a big problem. The issue is not a struggle to produce a larger quantity of antibiotics, but rather that bacteria are becoming less affected by antibiotics, and there is a lack of research and development for new drugs. “Antimicrobial resistance is a global health emergency that will seriously jeopardize progress in modern medicine,” says Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization since 2017 (WHO).
To understand this issue, it is important to understand the difference between bacteria and viruses. A virus is a tiny, non-biological genetic material encased in a protein. They are not alive, so they need a host to continue to make copies of themself and are passed from one living thing to the next. It enters the body and clings to other host cells and replicates itself, which causes the body to initiate a response, according to Harvard Medical School. Bacteria, on the other hand, are single-celled microorganisms that reproduce very quickly; some are good, some are bad, and they are all around us. A bacterial infection occurs when these bacteria get inside the body for a multitude of reasons and thrive because the human body is the perfect living environment for them (clevelandclinic.org). Examples of bacterial infections include strep throat, salmonella, or tuberculosis. Antibiotics are a lifesaving medication, developed to treat bacterial infections by killing or stopping their growth. These do not work on viral infections, like COVID-19 or the common cold.
Antibiotic misuse occurs when someone takes the wrong type of antibiotic, in the wrong dose, or for the wrong amount of time (CDC). Overuse of antibiotics occurs when someone takes them when they’re not necessary. This happens when they are used for viral infections. People often pressure doctors into giving them antibiotics when it’s unnecessary because they are uninformed, which causes the body to build up a resistance to the drug, making the bacteria learn to evolve into a “superbug.” A “superbug” is a bacterium (or virus) that has adapted to drugs and resistance to medication designed to kill it, making it a multidrug-resistant organism formed from misuse or overuse of a medication. 7 News Australia explains that doctors are saying, “Common infections will become untreatable and kill more people than cancer” due to superbugs. This issue poses a big problem because hospitals will be unable to treat people with bacterial infections, making things like pneumonia and E. Coli fatal.
Lack of research, development, and funding also plays a major role in the antibiotic crisis. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, clinical trials have been delayed, and investors have shifted their attention away from antibiotics to other areas. The World Health Organization has said that development and research are needed immediately in order to prevent people from being killed by infections that are from the Middle Ages. Dr. Haileyesus Getahun, WHO Director of AMR Global Coordination, has said, “Time is running out to get ahead of antimicrobial resistance, the pace and success of innovation is far below what we need to secure the gains of modern medicine against age-old but devastating conditions like neonatal sepsis” (WHO). According to Martin Fitchet, M.D., Global Head, Global Public Health at Johnson & Johnson,, “If we don’t tackle antimicrobial resistance now, by 2050 we could find ourselves facing a new pandemic of sorts with serious drug-resistant infections impacting people on multiple continents”(Johnson & Johnson).
Though this may induce fear, there are ways to fix this before it’s too late. The CDC says to only take antibiotics when you need to for bacterial infections, not viral infections. Some bacterial infections can resolve without the need for antibiotics, so it’s especially important to understand that you do not need them in those circumstances. UCLA Health also says that antibiotics will not make you feel better when you have a virus, but actually attack the positive bacteria in your body, leading to side effects like diarrhea and major disruption of the gut microbiome. It’s also important to only take exactly as prescribed to you. Another important prevention tool is to dispose of medication correctly to keep the medication from entering plumbing systems. You can do this by going to the local pharmacy and having them dispose of it, or place the medication in a zip-lock bag with dirt, kitty litter, or used coffee grounds (CDC). Staying up to date on your vaccines and working to prevent the spread of these illnesses through washing hands, staying home when sick, and covering your mouth when coughing or sneezing will also help prevent the spread of bacterial infections. Finally, spreading awareness about the misuse and overuse of antibiotics and how to prevent the spread of illness will delay the effects of bacterial resistance.
