World Health Organization concerned about online sale of antibiotics in India

Antibiotic resistance, which can turn common ailments into killers, has reached unsafe levels globally, the World Health Organization warned today, saying widespread misunderstandings about the problem was fuelling the risk. Close to one third (32%) of people surveyed believe they should stop taking antibiotics when they feel better, rather than completing the prescribed course of treatment. Almost one-half (44%) of respondents thought antibiotic resistance is only a problem for people who take antibiotics regularly.

To help tackle the growing health threat, PHE has launched a ‘Antibiotic Guardians’ campaign which urges members of the public and healthcare professionals to take action in helping to slow antibiotic resistance. The WHO and the drugs for neglected diseases initiative are working on the creation of a global antibiotic research and development facility that will collaborate closely with the pharmaceutical industry, universities, civil society and health authorities worldwide.

The AAP recommends that livestock producers only give antibiotics to animals when they are sick.

Antibiotic resistance happens when bacteria mutate and adapt to become invulnerable to the antibiotics used to treat the infections they cause. Many people ask for antibiotics to treat illnesses such as colds and flu but these are viruses which will not respond to antibiotic treatment, just like they wouldn’t respond to say a sunscreen.

“The findings… point to the urgent need to improve understanding around antibiotic resistance”, said Keiji Fukuda, the WHO’s special representative for antimicrobial resistance.

State health officials are raising awareness of antibiotic resistance and promoting the responsible use of antibiotics during the week of November 16-22, which Governor Mike Pence has proclaimed Get Smart About Antibiotics Week.

Mode of survey was a mix of online and face-to-face interviews. Seventy-three percent of respondents said farmers should reduce the amounts of antibiotics used in food production.

Don’t prescribe or dispense antibiotics unless they are truly necessary and you have made all efforts to test and confirm which antibiotic your human patient or the animal you are treating should have.

More hospitals are having to prescribe “last-resort” antibiotics as the number of resistant infections continues to rise, a report has said.

Health officials in the United Kingdom cautioned the public, especially pet owners, to be more careful in their antibiotic use as cats and dogs can transmit drug-resistant infections to anyone.

While 75 percent people agreed on the fact that antibiotics resistance is one of the biggest problem in the world and poses serious threat to health.