Antibiotic resistance: what every patient can do
Antibiotics only work if they keep working. Five everyday habits protect you, your family and the people who will need these medicines next.
Antibiotics are among the most important medicines ever developed. Bacteria, however, adapt. When they stop responding to a medicine, infections become harder to treat, hospital stays get longer and some procedures become riskier.
How big is the problem?
The World Health Organization estimates that bacterial antimicrobial resistance was directly responsible for 1.27 million deaths worldwide in 2019 and contributed to 4.95 million. WHO identifies the misuse and overuse of antimicrobials as the main driver of drug-resistant infections.
Resistance is not a problem of other people. Every unnecessary antibiotic course gives bacteria in your own body a chance to adapt.
Five habits that help
1. Use antibiotics only when a doctor prescribes them
Antibiotics work against bacteria. They do not work against viruses, which cause most colds, sore throats, flu and many coughs. Asking for an antibiotic “just in case” does not speed recovery and adds to resistance.
2. Follow the prescription exactly
Take the right dose at the right times for as long as your doctor told you. Different infections need different durations. If you have side effects or are worried about the length of the course, call your doctor or pharmacist instead of stopping or changing it on your own.
3. Never share or save antibiotics
Leftover tablets are not a treatment for the next illness, and a medicine that suited one person may be wrong for another. Return unused medicines to a pharmacy or dispose of them as the label advises.
4. Prevent infections in the first place
Wash hands with soap, keep vaccinations up to date, prepare food hygienically and keep wounds clean. Fewer infections mean fewer antibiotics.
5. Ask questions
Ask your doctor whether you really need an antibiotic, what it is treating, how long to take it and what to do if you do not improve. A good prescriber welcomes these questions.
Why this matters for the people who make medicines
At Astra Healthcare we supply antibiotics to clinicians across India. Their value depends on being prescribed for the right patient, at the right dose, for the right time. That decision belongs to your doctor, and the habits above are how patients support it.
This article is general information and not a substitute for advice from your own doctor.
Source
- World Health Organization, Antimicrobial resistance fact sheet
