NEW DELHI: The Indian Medical Association (HAVE) issued a warning against misuse of antibiotics as flu cases continue to soar in the country.
In a statement, the body of doctors said many people were taking antibiotics alone to manage febrile illnesses (fever) and cough that may be due to seasonal flu. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) said this year that influenza A H3N2, a virus subtype that causes influenza (flu), is prevalent and is known to cause more hospitalizations than other influenza subtypes.
“The infection caused by H3N2 is self-limiting in most cases and people don’t need high-end antibiotics to manage it. But we often come across patients who have taken antibiotics alone like Azithromycin and Amoxiclav. This is harmful and can cause drug resistance,” said Dr. Narender Saini, Chair of the IMA Committee on Antimicrobial Resistance.
Also during the first and second waves of the Covid-19 pandemic, Dr Saini added, one of the main crises was the overuse of medicines, including antibiotics.
In an advisory last year, the ICMR called on doctors to avoid using antibiotics for conditions such as mild fever and viral bronchitis, among others. The health research agency also advised doctors to follow a schedule when prescribing antibiotics.
For example, ICMR guidelines suggested that antibiotics be prescribed for five days for community-acquired pneumonia and eight days for nosocomial pneumonia.
“A quit date should be planned and recorded in advance to ensure that antibiotics are not given beyond the recommended duration,” the guidelines state.
Antimicrobial resistance or AMR occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites change over time and no longer respond to medications, making infections harder to treat and increasing the risk of spreading disease, illness and disease. serious illnesses and death. Self-medication is another major reason for increased RAM, according to medical experts.
Recently, a multi-center survey conducted by the ICMR to spot the trend of antibiotic resistance across the country showed that Acinetobacter baumannii, a gram-negative bacterium known to cause blood, urinary tract and lung infections, among other things, was resistant to high-end drugs. antibiotics.
The survey found that 87.5% of Acinetobacter baumannii samples tested in 2021 were resistant to carbapenems, a high-end antibiotic. According to the researchers, this limited the treatment option in people with an infection caused by the bacteria.
In a statement, the body of doctors said many people were taking antibiotics alone to manage febrile illnesses (fever) and cough that may be due to seasonal flu. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) said this year that influenza A H3N2, a virus subtype that causes influenza (flu), is prevalent and is known to cause more hospitalizations than other influenza subtypes.
“The infection caused by H3N2 is self-limiting in most cases and people don’t need high-end antibiotics to manage it. But we often come across patients who have taken antibiotics alone like Azithromycin and Amoxiclav. This is harmful and can cause drug resistance,” said Dr. Narender Saini, Chair of the IMA Committee on Antimicrobial Resistance.
Also during the first and second waves of the Covid-19 pandemic, Dr Saini added, one of the main crises was the overuse of medicines, including antibiotics.
In an advisory last year, the ICMR called on doctors to avoid using antibiotics for conditions such as mild fever and viral bronchitis, among others. The health research agency also advised doctors to follow a schedule when prescribing antibiotics.
For example, ICMR guidelines suggested that antibiotics be prescribed for five days for community-acquired pneumonia and eight days for nosocomial pneumonia.
“A quit date should be planned and recorded in advance to ensure that antibiotics are not given beyond the recommended duration,” the guidelines state.
Antimicrobial resistance or AMR occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites change over time and no longer respond to medications, making infections harder to treat and increasing the risk of spreading disease, illness and disease. serious illnesses and death. Self-medication is another major reason for increased RAM, according to medical experts.
Recently, a multi-center survey conducted by the ICMR to spot the trend of antibiotic resistance across the country showed that Acinetobacter baumannii, a gram-negative bacterium known to cause blood, urinary tract and lung infections, among other things, was resistant to high-end drugs. antibiotics.
The survey found that 87.5% of Acinetobacter baumannii samples tested in 2021 were resistant to carbapenems, a high-end antibiotic. According to the researchers, this limited the treatment option in people with an infection caused by the bacteria.