Antimicrobial resistance is a threat to humanity
Antibiotics are substances that fight bacteria or fungi, destroying or suppressing their growth and reproduction. Thanks to antibiotics, modern doctors can cope with many infections and severe complications that could previously be fatal for patients with sepsis, pneumonia, tuberculosis, meningitis, syphilis and other infections.
Humanity managed to acquire an impressive arsenal of antimicrobial drugs and began to actively use them everywhere: from medicine to agriculture. The widespread use of antibiotics only accelerates the development of resistance of microorganisms.
Over time, antibiotics that are designed to kill bacteria or stop their growth, preventing the development of the disease, stop working. Some microorganisms survive after the use of a particular drug. They mutate and continue to grow and multiply, no longer encountering competition from other strains. Unfortunately, even if a person has never abused antibiotics, he can get resistant microflora from someone from his immediate environment, for example, from relatives.If you do not stop the excessive use of antibiotics, then soon they will simply cease to work. The discovery of new antimicrobial drugs is not one of the fastest and easiest.
The resistance of bacteria to antibiotics is a serious threat to human health. Due to the spread of resistance, it becomes more and more difficult to choose an effective treatment every year. Unfortunately, resistant strains can be transmitted from one person to another, and the scale of the problem is still not fully known. Infections caused by resistant strains of microorganisms are characterized by a more severe course, require hospitalization more often and increase the duration of hospital stay, worsen the prognosis for patients.Many antibiotics that were actively used before have now lost their effectiveness — bacteria can suppress their action and even completely neutralize the drug.Antibiotic resistance threatens the achievements of modern medicine. In the absence of effective antibiotics for the prevention and treatment of infections, the risk of organ transplantation, chemotherapy and surgical operations increases significantly.
To prevent the spread of antibiotic resistance, it is necessary:take antibiotics only as prescribed by a doctor. You do not need to drink the drug "for prevention" or "for colds". If the specialist said that you do not need an antibiotic, do not prescribe it yourself. Follow the regimen and duration of taking the antibiotic. Do not stop taking the medicine prematurely, even if the symptoms have already passed. Do not take antibiotics that non-professionals have "advised" you.
Chief Freelance Specialist
in medical microbiology
A.V. Lapina
