Rise in drug resistant diseases is alarming

The news that a drug resistant form of gonorrhea is the tip of the iceberg. A lot of other life threatening conditions are also proving to be resistant to drugs.

In fact, senior ministry of health officials and doctors have been warning that misuse of drugs was making them ineffective as treatment for various diseases and ailments.

Antibiotics, in particular are easily available over the counter  with buyers not having to submit a doctor’s prescription. This easy availability means many are either overdosing or under dosing, or simply buying antibiotics when they don’t need to.

Children are especially vulnerable, more so during the school terms when inter-activity means they pick all manner of bacteria and viruses without their knowledge or intent.

But even more worrying is the number of Kenyans infected by sexually-transmitted diseases that are now resistant to the most common drug therapies.

Gonorrhea is particularly worrying since it implies that many Kenyans, especially the youth are still very casual about matters to do with sex.

Many are not using protection and are putting themselves at risk of infection by a myriad of sexually-transmitted diseases including the HIV, the virus that causes Aids. The youth are more likely to have unprotected sex with a stranger, especially after a night out drinking.

Statistics also play a part with the Ministry of Health saying that the rate of new HIV infections is falling. This creates a false sense of security for the poorly informed and naive who think unprotected sex is thence safe.

Resistance to drugs is also bad news for those infected with HIV who depend on anti-retroviral therapy.