Antibiotic resistance is currently one of the biggest causes of death in the world. About 700 thousand deaths throughout the world are caused by this phenomenon. In fact, health experts including the World Health Organization (WHO) agree that if there is no appropriate prevention, antibiotic resistance will result in around one million deaths globally each year by 2050.
What is antibiotic resistance?
Doctors usually prescribe antibiotics to treat bacterial infections. Unfortunately, bacteria can eventually adapt to drugs and become more difficult to kill. Well, this is what is called antibiotic resistance.
Bacteria can become resistant to antibiotics in several ways. For example, because bacterial genes undergo changes or bacteria get genes that are resistant to drugs from other bacteria. This condition can gradually threaten the body's ability to treat infectious diseases. So, the longer and more often antibiotics are used, the more antibiotics are ineffective in fighting bacteria.
If the number of antibiotic-resistant bacteria is increasing, a variety of medical procedures such as organ transplants, chemotherapy, diabetes treatment, and major surgeries are very risky. The effect is more distant, patients must bear longer and more expensive treatments.
Is it true that antibiotic resistance can cause death?
Antibiotic resistance is caused because bacteria can no longer be killed with antibiotics, thus threatening the body's ability to fight infectious diseases. But antibiotic resistance is not the only cause the patient's condition continues to deteriorate and ultimately increases the risk of death. The reason is, there may be other things that can affect the patient's own condition, such as a patient's illness. Usually patients who are seriously ill will continue to lose their immune system, thereby reducing the performance of antibiotics in killing bacteria that cause infection. As a result it can lead to disability and even death.
How to avoid antibiotic resistance?
The main key to avoiding antibiotic resistance is to prevent the infection itself. This can be done by:
- Maintaining health by fulfilling nutritional intake so that your body's endurance gets stronger so it doesn't get sick easily.
- Prepare your food hygienically.
- Diligently wash your hands thoroughly, especially after sneezing or coughing and before eating and sticking to other things.
- Paying attention to the ventilation in the house so that sunlight can enter the house and air circulation smoothly.
- Vaccination as recommended by the doctor to prevent certain diseases.
Everyone must know the rules for taking the correct antibiotics. Here are some rules for taking antibiotics that must be considered:
- Always take antibiotics according to the doctor's recommendations.
- Always buy the amount of antibiotics that your doctor prescribes.
- Always spend antibiotics given by your doctor, even if your condition has improved.
- Always take medication at the right dose and at the right time.
- Never repeat prescription antibiotics.
- Never take antibiotics that are prescribed for others or give antibiotics that you have to others, because their needs may not be the same.
- Always tell your doctor if you are taking other drugs, supplements, and herbs.