2023-11-17 14:04:04
“Every year in Italy there are 11 thousand deaths due to antibiotic resistance”. Thus the extraordinary commissioner of the ISS, Rocco Bellantone, in his speech to the Ministry of Health for the presentation of the European Day and World Week for the Prudent Use of Antibiotics. The Minister of Health Orazio Schillaci speaks of a “global threat. Every year it causes 35 thousand deaths in Europe and a third in Italy. In this field we are in the last places surpassed only by Greece. In 2022 three out of 10 people received a prescription for an antibiotic and it is urgent to promote their appropriate use and improve prescriptive appropriateness.” But what is it and what are the causes?
What are the risks of antibiotic resistance?
“Antibiotic resistance will exceed cancer deaths in deaths, it is a silent pandemic,” said Giorgio Palù, president of the Italian drug agency Aifa.
Antibiotic resistance has a major impact on people, animals and the environment. In fact, if a microorganism acquires the ability to resist the action of an antibiotic, the infectious disease caused by it may be more difficult to treat: the course is longer, the risk of complications increases, up to outcomes that can be disabling or lead to the patient’s death, we read on the Ministry of Health website. Antibiotic resistance, therefore, has important consequences on the quality of life of people and also a significant economic impact for the individual and for the community.
The excessive or inappropriate use of antibiotics induces the development of new resistance not only directly in microorganisms, but also involves a risk due to the possible release of residues of these medicines into the environment, which can thus contaminate water, soil and vegetation. These residues continue to be active in the environment, inducing selective pressure against the bacteria that commonly live there.
When to take antibiotics?
“Family doctors know their clients better than others and can certainly carry out an awareness campaign because antibiotics cannot be taken without a medical prescription, I am thinking above all of children and the weakest groups. We are at the bottom of the list in the EU and are a heel of Achilles on which we are intervening”, Schillaci said again.
Antibiotics are medicines that are only effective in combating diseases caused by bacteria. However, they are not useful for treating viral infections, such as colds or flu. People should take antibiotics only after evaluation by a doctor. In fact, they are not medicines for self-medication and, in pharmacies, they can only be sold upon presentation of a medical prescription. Once you have purchased the drug, it is essential to scrupulously follow the prescriber’s instructions regarding dosage, methods and duration of therapy. In fact, each antibiotic is specific to treat only certain bacterial diseases.
Incorrect use of antibiotics could take us back to a time when antibiotics did not exist and infectious diseases frequently had a fatal outcome. Antibiotics are a precious commodity whose effectiveness is decreasing over time. In order for their usefulness to continue in the future, everyone must contribute to preserving it through correct and responsible use.
What is the most important cause of antibiotic resistance?
Antibiotic resistance is a natural defense mechanism of bacteria. The two main external factors favoring the development and spread of antibiotic resistance are:
the use of antibiotics, which puts ecological pressure on microorganisms and contributes to the emergence and selection of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in populations
the spread and cross-transmission of antibiotic-resistant bacteria between humans, animals and the environment.
What will happen if antibiotics no longer work?
Before the discovery of antibiotics, thousands of people died from bacterial infections, such as pneumonia, or contracted following surgery. Without antibiotics we could return to the pre-antibiotic era. Common medical procedures such as organ transplants, cancer chemotherapy, intensive care and other medical procedures, including some dental care, would no longer be possible. Bacterial diseases would spread and may no longer be treatable, even with last-line antibiotics, and patients would die from the infection. Keeping antibiotics effective and ensuring they still work in the future is a shared responsibility; everyone is responsible: patients, parents, doctors, nurses, pharmacists, all healthcare personnel, veterinarians, breeders, farmers, ordinary people.
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