Why Do People Use Antiscription Antibiotics?

Antibiotic resistance is a phenomenon in which germs evolve to be able to resist the action of drugs. This causes illnesses that were once easily curable with antibiotics to become dangerous infections, requiring alternative medications or higher doses. With millions of deaths increasing every year, antibiotic resistance has become one of the world's most pressing public health problems. This essay will explain the key causes of the emergence of resistant bacteria, including antibiotic misuse, inappropriate prescribing and availability of few new antibiotics, and outline relevant effects of antibiotic resistance.

Antibiotics are powerful very frequently used potential drugs in fighting bacterial infections worldwide, [1]. These agents saved millions of lives in the past fifty years in both hospital-based and outpatient settings. Inadequate measures to control the spreading of infections, overprescribing as well as inappropriate selection and dosing of antibiotics by healthcare providers, unfettered access to antimicrobials by public, failure to adhere to clinically desired treatment regimens are some of the driving force to spread of antibiotics resistance, [2]. In addition, lack of regulations to promote the rational use of antibiotics in humans, infection prevention and control are some of the other factors that lead to emergence of resistance to antibiotics, [3].

Fleming in 1928. Penicillin helped to treat some common infections: step throat, boils, it would heal wounds quicker, as well as treat more serious infections such as meningitis and pneumonia. Antibiotics usually kill only weak bacteria and after some years of antibiotic usage stronger bacteria have not only survived but also became resistant to the old cure. “Doctors have started to prescribe antibiotics to cure conditions such as ear infections, sinusitis, bronchitis, non-specific upper respiratory tract infections and even common colds and flu… According to the Director of Antimicrobial Resistance, Dr. Richard Besser, each year US physicians write $50 million worth of prescriptions that are ineffectual and unnecessary.” (Elisa Bussey). The more doctors were prescribing antibiotics, the bigger the number of people who become resistant to them. Most of the European countries prescribe antibiotics to kill bacteria only in cases of life threatening conditions. Patients in the US have become accustomed to receiving antibiotics for almost any health concerns and with time, patients have started to expect such prescriptions as a norm.

Antibiotics differ from many other drugs in the fact that the treatment is for a very short time compared to drugs used to treat hypertension, diabetes, Parkinson’s, or cancer. The latter disorders have in common that the treatment, from the moment of diagnosis, is life-long. The treatment period for antibiotics is only a few weeks, making the return of investment poor. Increasing demands of authorities in both development and marketing phase and in legislation increase the costs of new antibiotics.[1] [3]

The overconsumption of antibiotics is a big contribution to drug resistance and is why users should know what happens with the repeated use of these drugs. Even though some bacterial mutation occurs naturally, human use of antibacterial is the cause of higher-levels of resistance (Alliance for the Prudent Use of Antibiotics 2014). Bacteria mutate either by genetic mutation or by receiving the defensive agent. During an infection bacteria multiply naturally within the body and when exposed to antibiotics, bacteria have an opportunity to adapt to the drug (Alliance for the Prudent Use of Antibiotics 2014). During this period of

Overtime, antibiotics have been favorable as well as negligent to society. Antibiotic usage is helpful to society because it kills and fights off bacteria in both humans and animals. With an increase in antibiotic usage, these bacteria have become resistant to certain drugs which reduce the chance of the bacteria being killed off and result in bacteria multiplying, causing increased harm to the infected. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 2013), each year in the United States at least 2 million people become infected with bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics and at least 23,000 people die each year as a result to these infections. Although multiple bacteria are antibiotic resistant, and those numbers will continue to rise, antibiotics should remain a staple in the treatment of diseases, as opposed to abandoning their use which will cause an increase in the prevalence of bacterial infections.

Antibiotic-resistant microbes infect more than two million Americans and kill over 100,000 each year. These numbers will continue to grow unless we make a drastic effort to curtail them. The necessary response is threefold and includes legislation, awareness, and activism. I will address all of these.

The misuse of antibiotics has the potential to set society back in time to the dark ages. It is time to end the careless use of these valuable antimicrobial that so many take for granted. Antibiotic resistance continues to expand and evolve and solutions to this epidemic need to implemented. By establishing stewardships, educational programs, and restrictions it teaches the severity of this issue and action that must be taken in order to decrease resistance. Antibiotic resistance is a multifactorial issue. Introducing preventative measures in hospitals will be most effective in reducing resistance, as well as eliminating the trend of misusing antibiotics.

A huge advancement was made in the world of medicine when antibiotics were first invented. Suddenly, deadly diseases such as Staphylococcus could be cured. (Tan, 2014) Before antibiotic discovery in 1928, and their prescription in the late 1930’s, Streptococcus pyogenes caused 50% of post-birth deaths, and was a major cause of death in burn victims. Staphylococcus aureus killed 80% of people with infected wounds, and tuberculosis and pneumonia ran rampant within the population. Through the use of antibiotics, these diseases could be easily treated. Between 1944 and 1972, human life expectancy leaped by eight years, primarily accredited to antibiotics; and the number of people dying due to bacterial infection dramatically fell. (Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 1999) Therefore, antibiotics are beneficial as they are able to save lives, and treat various types of bacterial diseases. In addition they are easily administered - they may simply be taken orally, or injected. They are also cost-effective, and have few side effects. Moreover, the cost of antibiotic regulation, public ignorance of the threat, and adherence to routine are major factors preventing regulation laws to be put in place. (Krans,

Throughout the centuries the improvement of medicine has always been on the run. Whether the cure for a viral or bacterial infection to the simple cure of a common cold, advances in medicine can be said to have had a great impact in the lives of many in the U.S. and around the world. In the U.S. alone, the life expectancy of an American increased from 49 years to 77 years because of the new way of life in the health aspect. There is no doubt that antibiotics specifically, not to say the prevention of diseases by public health regulations including over-the-counter drugs and surgical procedures, have saved thousands or even millions of lives in the U.S and around the world. However, there are many cases in which antibiotics are being overused, which in effect cause more harm than good.

The current discovery of growing antibiotic resistant bacteria has been linked to the public’s unaware overuse of antibiotics and changing rates of antibiotic prescription. Many people in the U.S. are already knowledgeable that antibiotics are used to help fight against disease or infections, but the mass population is blind to the negative drawbacks of overusing the antibiotics. The research “ Study shows for antibiotic overuse” by Mike Stobbe (2013) provides a clear explanation of the drawback provided by The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) stating that antibiotic resistant bacteria are produced, “when antibiotics are not used long enough or are taken for the wrong reasons, allowing

When antibiotics were discovered in the early 1900’s, it revolutionized the medical world forever. Before this discovery millions and millions of people died from minor infections; there was not anything to fight off the growing bacteria. There are many types of antibiotics but the discovery of penicillin was first and it would leave everyone amazed and alive to this day.

Antibiotics have become a very important part of medicine. It is used to treat all kinds of bacteria, infections, diseases. Sadly, antibiotics have been coming to an end, they are being used more and more often everyday. They are being used so much that the bacteria they are being used to treat have been starting to become resistant to these antibiotics. Many infections that were once so easy to be treated have been gaining a stronger resistance. This is because of how the bacteria have a special enzyme that kills and eats up the antibiotics. As well as how the resistance that bacteria have can easily be passed off from one bacteria to another. This makes the resistance to antibiotics spread faster and increase rapidly. Much of the bacteria with resistance usually have it in their genes.

Modern day society is constantly in motion. The miracle drug, known as antibiotics, was a remarkable scientific advancement of the 1940’s era and seems to keep up with our demands. It has become the foundation of medicine and health care in today’s society.

The overuse of antibiotics has been a problem for well over a decade. This misuse leads to many nonvisible problems arising within the human population. As the use of antibiotics increases, the number of antibiotic resistant bacteria also increases. When bacteria become resistant to an antibiotic, another antibiotic must be used to try and kill it and the cycle becomes vicious. Michael Martin, Sapna Thottathil, and Thomas Newman stated that antimicrobial resistance is, “an increasingly serious threat to global public health that requires action across all government sectors and society” (2409).