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By Rawlings Otieno
The incorrect use of antibiotics is putting the health of Kenyan patients at risk, Medical experts have warned.
Although antibiotics were first discovered in the 20th Century, they have saved millions of lives, increased doctors’ confidence and skills in various complicated surgical procedures.
The antibiotics have also been known to prevent deaths in chronic care patients and cancer victims from bacterial infections.
But now the medics are upbeat that common ailments that are treatable with antibiotics have become resistant, causing a serious economic implication to the already cash-starved public health system.
According to Senior Deputy Director Chief Pharmacist Dr Elizabeth Ogaja, the problem of antibiotic resistance is a reality that must be dealt with urgently.
New superbugs
“There are few new antibiotics being developed by the pharmaceutical industry. We must form the first line of defense and make sure that patients use antibiotics in the right manner,” says Ogaja.
The medics under the group, Kenya Antibiotics Consensus (KAC) say that development of resistance would result in the emergence of multi-drug resistance bacteria and inability to treat infection and result in morbidity and mortality from bacterial infections in the country.
Pathology expert at the Aga Khan University Hospital Prof Gunturu Revathi says widespread inappropriate antibiotic usage has led to drug resistance to common outpatient conditions such as the common cold, throat infection and coughs, which did not require antibiotics.
“A lot of patients suffering from common cold, throat infection and coughs are always given antibiotics or self-prescribe the antibiotics. This causes resistance to their use,” says the Medical guru.
Although experts are working to develop new antibiotics and other treatments to keep pace with antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria, infectious organisms can adapt quickly.
Revathi notes that antibiotic-resistant bacteria will continue to be a global health concern — and using antibiotics wisely is important for preventing their spread.
Dr Tom Menge of KAC says the negative consequences of incorrect or inappropriate antibiotic use ‘extends beyond the individual patients, impacting on society as a whole and resulting in the spread of superbugs.
Superbugs are a consequence of more and more bacteria becoming resistant to commonly used antibiotics.
The medics now advice patients taking antibiotics to complete the course of antibiotics, even if the symptoms seem to have disappeared. They should also know the potential side effects of antibiotics and how they might be avoided.
Side effects
They warn that side effects can include stomach upsets, diarrhoea and thrush.
Not taking antibiotics exactly as prescribed could also lead to other health complications, or not work at all.
“The surviving bacteria become more resistant and can be spread to other people. When bacteria become resistant to first line treatments, the risk of complications and death is increased,” says Dr Menge.
The failure of first line antibiotics also means that doctors have to resort to less conventional medications, many of which are more costly and associated with more-serious side effects.
Currently, the drugs needed to treat drug-resistant forms of tuberculosis (TB) are much more expensive than are the drugs used to treat non-resistant TB. The course of treatment is long up to two years — and the side effects can be severe.
Other consequences are the increased costs associated with prolonged illnesses, including expenses for additional tests, treatments and hospitalisation, and indirect costs, such as lost income.
The commonly known problem is that as the use of antibiotics becomes more and more widespread, the bacteria become more and more resistant.
This is especially common when people quit their antibiotics prescription halfway through because they “feel fine”; some of the surviving bacteria then mutate into more resistant strains and spread to other people.
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