A father of a 6-year-old kid came to a local pharmacy to buy some antibiotic medicine. He asks for medicine without any prescription, only detailing his son’s fever. Finally, he got some antibiotic medicine from that local medicine seller and applied it to his son.
Isn’t it a common scenario in our Bengali society? I’m sure many of us must be experienced with or used to seeing this situation. Did you notice why many deaths are being caused because no medicine is going to work on the body? Recent data shows that children between 6 and 10 years old are dying because their bodies failed to act with medicine. It is important to mention that children and people of different ages can have that situation in their bodies. Death is obvious when our body loses the ability to cure itself from germs and bacteria.
What is AMR?
Antimicrobial resistance is known by the acronym AMR. This condition means that bacteria, fungi, and viruses can fight off drugs intended to kill them. When this happens, antibiotics, antifungals, and other drugs that kill microbes stop working to treat infections. This is like a battle between germs and medicines. The germ-killing drugs we use change over time and lose some of their power. Like a soldier getting used to a specific type of armour, germs can adapt and become resistant to the drugs we throw at them. In our society, we have the terrible practice of leaving medicine before completing the prescribed course. Sometimes, we don’t even think of the necessity of prescribed medicine. As a result, antibiotics can’t kill all the germs in our bodies because we stop taking medication before the suggested time. Then, the germ starts resisting the drugs.
The consequences are:
- Resistant bacteria take longer to fight off, leading to more complicated illnesses.
- Stronger and more expensive drugs might be needed when regular antibiotics fail to cure.
- Resisting tense bacteria can quickly spread to others, putting them at risk of AMR infection.
AMR is like a silent shadow eroding modern medicine’s fundamentals. You might not see it coming. The microorganisms that antibiotics, antifungals, antivirals, and antiparasitics were made to fight are changing, and the drugs that have saved countless lives and changed the way healthcare is provided are losing their effectiveness.
It is now a global concern, but we are still ignorant about this crucial fact. From November 18th to November 24th last year, WHO held a week to raise awareness about antibiotic-resistant bacteria. This week’s main concern was creating awareness among people and involving stakeholders and policymakers to reduce this problem.
Our responsibility to tackle this situation is:
There is no quick solution for this condition; it is better to develop awareness of getting infected.
- Always listen to your doctor’s advice before completing the course, even if you feel better.
- We must stop putting pressure on our doctors to prescribe antibiotics for viral infections like the flu.
- We must be careful about our children, even if they don’t like to take the rest of their medicine.
- Maintaining adequate sanitation is essential.
AMR is estimated to be responsible for the deaths of 1.27 million people in 2019. It is a complex and rapidly evolving threat. Still, with concerted efforts at every level, we can slow the spread of resistance and protect the future. We have the power to combat this threat that we can’t see. If we want everyone to have a healthier future, let’s be responsible, put money into research, and put public health first.
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Writer,
Zakia Sultana
Content Writing Department
YSSE