We Have An Antibiotic Problem

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[{"type":"txt","id":"rich_1511450361477","data":"Nobody likes being sick, me even less so. I hate it, with every fibre of my being, I simply cannot keep a positive state of mind when I get sick with something as simple as fever and want to get back on my feet as soon as possible, partly because for someone as lazy as me, I hate feeling weak and tired all the time and partly because with all that free time I'm not doing something, I'm alone with my own thoughts. That is terrifying. <\/p>But this isn't about me, this is about all of us who have felt the urge for a quick fix so we can get back to college or go back to work. Surely, after centuries of human advancement and studying medicine, we must have a faster method of tackling the seasonal and community acquired infections, right? We do actually have antibiotics for that, but if your first thought of treating your fever was reaching for an antibiotic, well, we have a problem. <\/p>What Is An Antibiotic?: <\/b><\/p>I mean, sure you've heard the term, but what exactly is it and what does it do and more specifically, why is it a problem to use them for diseases that can be otherwise treated? <\/p>Antibiotic is the shorter form of the word antibacterial, in short, medicines that fight off bacteria that cause diseases, and not things that one uses to stop Commander Shepard from launching himself at an enemy across the battlefield and then shredding the area with a shotgun. <\/p>Please don't shoot me for that reference. <\/p>Coming back to the point, antibiotics were only discovered as recently as 1928 by a certain man named Alexander Fleming. If that name sounds familiar, it's because it is, you've heard it in school a million times already: this is the same man that won a Nobel Prize for his discovery of Penicillin, an antibiotic which occurs naturally in nature. <\/p>Science took an incredibly accelerated pace in the 20th century and today, some 90 odd years later, Penicillin has been studied, broken down, experimented with enough to give humanity the blueprints to create our own antibiotics to fight off a variety of bacteria. Antibiotics have saved countless lives and prevented deaths that were almost guaranteed in the years before they came into prominence.<\/p> Today, antibiotic production is on record highs and a toxic combination of reaching quotas in private hospitals and humanity's ignorant yet gleeful destruction of the environment has led to a problem that is a disaster waiting to happen. How I hear you ask?<\/p>You see, the bacteria is a living organism that multiplies and thrive in conditions that facilitate its growth and just like any other living organism on the planet, bacteria can also do the one thing that has also given humans opposable thumbs. <\/p>It evolves. <\/p>"},{"type":"img","id":"img-uid-1511454656667","data":"5a171601f2fff"},{"type":"txt","id":"rich_1511454662416","data":"These Are Not The Mutants You're Looking For: <\/b><\/p>It just struck me that while we discuss disease-causing bacterias evolving into Superbugs, there are people who still vehemently oppose the theory of evolution because it supposedly goes against their religious beliefs. A superbug is definitely not going to ask one what their religion is, but I digress. <\/p>So yes, it's 2017, people in India want quick and efficient treatment because the hospitals they pay for are hopeless in their eyes and the hospitals they end up paying to through their nose have deadlines to run after and quotas to fill. <\/p>For this article, I interviewed a doctor who wished to remain anonymous. From this point in the article, I will be adding quotes by this doctor wherever relevant so our readers may have the perspective of someone who is in the field themselves. <\/p>The Times of India <a href=\"https:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/india\/India-becomes-worlds-largest-consumer-of-antibiotics\/articleshow\/38251650.cms\" target=\"_blank\">reported in 2014<\/a> that India has become one of the largest consumers of antibiotics in the world. At first glance, it did not bother me as much as it does now: I reasoned that this is obviously due to the sheer number of people that we are. However, the report said that India's antibiotic usage went up from 8 billion units in 2001 to an alarming 12.9 billion units by 2010, a shocking 62% increase in the span of 10 years and that census was taken 7 years ago as of today. Who can say where we stand today in how many pills we're popping? <\/p>Does the increase in pill popping also mean that Indians are getting sicker? <\/p>\"Initially, no,\" says our doctor friend, \"Healthcare today has become a game of who can prescribe medicine that heals the patient faster, all the while ignoring risks of what that medicine can do to the patient in both the short and the long term. Which means in the coming years when disease-causing bacteria grow resistant to antibiotics, we'll have to develop stronger counters. It'll be an endless cycle.\" <\/p>The patients, they say, are no better at times, \"Nobody has time for anything, not even their health,\" the doctor says, \"so think about the situation at private hospitals. Just because you, the patient, believe that you're not being treated fast enough, or are being refused antibiotics, you decide to take your business elsewhere. This is very wrong. On one hand you have patients who insist on antibiotics, on the other you have patients who do not even finish their full course of medicine even when properly prescribed, which leads one to believe that they're not getting better. All of this fuels the mad rush towards antibiotics.\"<\/p>So basically, our antibiotic as a solution for everything attitude is creating the conditions for a disease to manifest that cannot be treated with antibiotics currently known to humanity, because by subjecting bacteria to an overuse of antibiotics, we let them adapt to it, creating a mutated bacteria that requires tougher countermeasures. <\/span><\/p>"},{"type":"img","id":"img-uid-1511456148244","data":"5a170c21075b5"},{"type":"txt","id":"rich_1511456150493","data":"What next?:<\/b> <\/p>Let's see. <\/p>We have successfully polluted our lakes and water bodies with industrial waste from pharmaceutical companies that have allowed superbugs to breed (<a href=\"https:\/\/link.springer.com\/article\/10.1007\/s15010-017-1007-2\" target=\"_blank\">Click Here<\/a> to read all about it!) around the pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities in Hyderabad. It is speculated that, by 2050, Superbugs will kill the same number of people as cancer by the year 2050, according to <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/health-30416844\" target=\"_blank\">this report on<\/a> the BBC.  We are witnessing an health crisis that we will experience in our lifetimes in the making, and people are still popping antibiotics like candies.<\/p>"},{"type":"txt","id":"rich_1511459313498","data":"What Can We Do?<\/b> <\/p>The World Health Organisation already has a dedicated webpage detailing information about the Superbug and how one can prevent it. The salient points are also the most obvious: Don't abuse antibiotics, don't rush into treatments just because they offer a quick solution and always be mindful of the people around you doing the same. You can read WHO's full report, which also details steps towards making changes in policies, by <a href=\"http:\/\/www.who.int\/mediacentre\/factsheets\/antibiotic-resistance\/en\/\" target=\"_blank\">clicking here.<\/a><\/p>However, it all comes down to us. To me and you. All the preventive tips in the world are useless if you aren't cautious in the first place. Our attitude towards healthcare and medicines must undergo a change and we must realise that just because this is a fast-paced world, doesn't mean we have to run along with it even when it comes to your health. These short-term stop-gap fixes will be for nothing when the dam breaks and Antibiotic Resistance becomes a much bigger problem in the coming years. <\/p>"},{"type":"img","id":"img-uid-1511459758785","data":"5a17167411005"},{"type":"txt","id":"rich_1511459761337","data":"The Doctors And Antibiotics Are Not The Enemy:<\/b> <\/p>It is natural to find someone to blame when things go south, we keep reading news about doctors being beaten up due to untimely and unfortunate death of a patient in hospitals across the country because when it comes to death, logic is often out of the window in a free fall while emotion takes over. <\/p>\"Despite where we're headed, it is very important to remember that antibiotics remain an extremely crucial part of modern medicine, one that we have to use,\" says the doctor, \"As is with the case in every field, a few spoil the name of the bunch. The superbug issue is massive in private sector healthcare, but not every private hospital is the same. Similarly, the same issue is approaching alarming levels in public healthcare, although it is not as big as the problem private healthcare has. In the end, it won't matter, because Superbugs won't be selective in attacking the human body.\"<\/p>Of course, every society has its bad apples, but it is important to remember that these bad apples come from among us. I understand that nobody wants to be pointed at and accused of being a bad person but at one point we have to stop and examine our own actions and check if we are wrong. We have to understand that, while it is all hunky dory fixing your own problems, you still exist in this world. <\/p>This is also one of the reasons I chose to look into this issue and write on this platform because a large portion of our readers are students and it is up to you students to safeguard the future of the nation for those who will come after you. Being a doctor comes with a tremendous amount of responsibility, not just to the patient and your discipline but also the world around you. <\/p>The beauty of humanity is that we have overcome challenges often, so often that we've made it a habit to do so. So while we may face difficulties, the sun will still rise every day until it burns out, and as long as we remember to keep the world safe, we will continue to see that sunrise. <\/p>But for now, all I can say is this: Brace for Impact. <\/p>"}]

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