Every time antibiotics are used, they can contribute to antibiotic resistance. This is because increases in antibiotic resistance are driven by a combination of microbes being exposed to antibiotics and the spread of those microbes and their resistance mechanisms. When antibiotics are needed, the benefits generally outweigh the risks of developing resistance. However, antibiotics are too often used unnecessarily or incorrectly, which threatens the effectiveness of these essential medicines.

Antibiotic resistance jeopardises many of the advances in modern healthcare that we have come to rely on, including joint replacement surgery, organ transplantation, and cancer treatment. These procedures carry a significant risk of infection, and patients may not be able to undergo them if effective antibiotics are no longer available.

WHAT IS ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE?

Antibiotic resistance occurs when microbes no longer respond to antibiotics designed to kill them. This means that the microbes survive and continue to multiply. It does not mean that the human body becomes resistant to antibiotics.

Bacteria and fungi are constantly finding new ways to evade the effects of the antibiotics used to treat the infections they cause.

Infections caused by antibiotic-resistant microbes are difficult, and sometimes impossible, to treat. In many cases, these infections require prolonged hospital stays, additional follow-up medical care, and more expensive and potentially more toxic alternative treatments.

TIPS TO AVOID OVERUSING ANTIBIOTICS

Remember the importance of avoiding the unnecessary use of antibiotics to treat illnesses such as the flu or the common cold, as this contributes to antibiotic resistance.

  • If you take antibiotics when they are not needed, they may not work when you truly need them.

  • Do not self-medicate. Always take antibiotics only when prescribed by a healthcare professional and complete the full course of treatment.