Another shock is that this epidemic may already exist today. A disease such as malaria, polio, or tuberculosis could be a potential killer to the entire global community. Also, something as simple as food poisoning or strep throat may become life threatening again. Harmful bacteria which cause these diseases were once beaten down by medical advancements. However, the same infectious bacteria almost eliminated just a few decades ago has started to resurface deadlier and stronger than ever. Every day we come closer to developing an infectious bacteria which could one day devastate the planet.
Much of this is being caused by the past and current misuse and abuse of antibiotics. The dismal fact is that both doctors and patients are responsible for abusing the small but vital supply. Many times a doctor will prescribe antibiotics although it is both unnecessary and wasteful. For example, doctors have been known to treat viral infections such as the common cold or flu with antibiotics. However, it is common knowledge that antibiotics are useless in fighting off viral infections. Antibiotics are only useful in killing and inhibiting bacteria.
Patients are to blame as well. For example, a patient will demand antibiotics believing that it will be a quick cure to the common cold. Other patients who do actually need antibiotics will misuse them by not completing the full prescription during the allotted time frame. If the antibiotics are not ingested during the proper time frame in full, the bacteria is not entirely killed off. One other patient misuse is saving the antibiotics and sharing with someone else who develops the same symptoms. Prescription medication of any kind, especially antibiotics, should not be shared. It is up to a doctor to make a diagnosis and prescribe the proper medication.
On a cellular level, it is very important that the full and correct dosage of medication is given. In any colony of infectious bacteria inhibiting the body, there are a few cells which are somewhat resistant to antibiotics. However, if all of the non-resistant bacteria cells are killed off with the antibiotic, the stronger bacteria will eventually die off without the support from the rest of the bacteria colony. When the full antibiotics dosage is not used up, only the weaker bacteria dies off. Then a startling event occurs: the bacteria is able to evolve slightly. Then the bacteria becomes stronger and passes on the ability to resist the origninal antibiotic on to other cells within the colony while reproducing more mutated, antibiotic-resistant bacteria. At this point, the antibiotic originally prescribed becomes ineffective. Then the patient must be prescribed a different antibiotic to fight off the bacteria.
Currently, there are slightly over one hundred different antibiotics. Almost every antibiotic today has at least one bacteria which it is useless against. For some very harmful bacteria, there are only a few antibiotics left which will work against it. These �super-bug� bacteria types are still building up defenses against the remaining effective antibiotics. This is already a serious danger to HIV positive patients. An HIV patient�s immune system is not always strong enough to fight off the bacteria, and if antibiotics are ineffective as well, their life expectancy is cut dramatically short.
As bleak as the future may sound at this point, there is still something that both patients and doctors can do to evade this impending doom. Doctors should start by not prescribing antibiotics for viral infections or any other unnecessary ailments. Extensive studies have shown that when antibiotics are prescribed less often, antibiotic resistance levels drop. The general overall health of the community would improve as well.
However, the responsibility does not lie within the hands of the medical community alone. Patients should not pressure their doctors into prescribing any unneeded antibiotics, even if it appears to give a temporary relief of cold and flu symptoms. Patients should also use up their entire prescriptions within the designated time frame. One last thing patients can do is to definitely not share their prescribed medication with anyone else. Each prescription is difference in potency and amount, according to the needs and body weight of the patient, and therefore unfit for anyone other than the originally intended patient.
Misusing and abusing antibiotics is very easy to do. Patients become forgetful, and miss an important dosage. Patients are also prone to think they know what is best for their bodies, even though this is not necessarily the case. However, patients need to realize that it is not very difficult to go the extra steps needed to ensure personal health and public safety. If both doctors and patients can follow directions carefully, then perhaps a worldwide catastrophe can be evaded.