By: Ibraheem Olasunkanmi Qoseem
Picture a world where minor illnesses like a cough, fever, or small cuts were fatal. This was our reality before the discovery of antibiotics. To us, antibiotic discovery was more of saving grace. It was a lifetime gift from our darling Alexander Fleming to mankind. But today, these antibiotics are failing us. Antimicrobial drugs are losing their power, and what once protected us now teeters on the edge of obsolescence. This is the harsh truth of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR).
To be sick is human, but what truly matters is having a cure. Yet, we are now living in a time when treatments are failing due to the waning effectiveness of drugs. This crisis is not abstract; it’s a lived reality. If you haven’t felt it personally, you may know someone who has-hospital visits that never seem to end, prescriptions that pile up, and the ever-present anxiety of whether the next pill will work. This is where we are: a place of failed treatment.
Sadly, that you take another drugs and it works is a grace, but many others are not so lucky. They endure stronger and stronger antibiotics, paying the ultimate price of untimely death. The World Health Organization’s data tells a grim story: in 2019, 700,000 people worldwide died because of untreatable infections as a result of AMR(WHO, 2019). This isn’t just a statistic; it’s a collective tragedy.
The Practices Fueling Antimicrobial Resistance
Whenever the data of incidences in public health is cited, it does elevate fear of intimidation, I would say that is fine. But in real sense, it is not ordinarily meant to scare but to provide insight for situations which should prompt us to act in favorable direction. On the issue of AMR the data are damn real.
The reality of AMR is not just numbers; it’s fueled by everyday habits. Self-medication is rampant. We skip doses, stop treatments midway, and hoard antibiotics for future use or share them with others. In some cases, we even demand specific antibiotics from healthcare providers, judging their competence based on whether they comply with our requests.
But it doesn’t stop there. In agriculture, antibiotics are used excessively to boost animal growth, often without necessity, and sometimes even expired drugs are used to cut costs. These reckless practices only serve to strengthen the resistance, turning everyday infections into formidable foes.
The Real Impact of Antimicrobial Resistance
Imagine visiting a hospital, expecting a cure, only to find that the prescribed medication is ineffective. The danger is not just personal; it’s communal. Resistant infections spread easily, especially among those we live with, touch, and care for. Beyond the immediate, AMR is reversing hard-won battles against maternal and infant mortality, complicating the treatment of chronic conditions like diabetes and cancer, and even making surgeries riskier. Diseases like HIV, malaria, tuberculosis, and gonorrhea-once manageable-are now becoming nearly insurmountable because of resistance.
And if this seems distant, consider this: without intervention, drug-resistant diseases could claim 10 million lives each year by 2050(O’Neill, 2014). The economic toll could mirror the global financial crisis of 2008-2009, pushing 24 million people into extreme poverty(WHO, 2019). We are sitting on a time bomb; without decisive action, it will explode.
Treatment with AMR is Tough, but Doing Nothing is Tougher
The change in societal norms have unfortunately affected the health sector, the foundation of every development. Hospitals, supposedly the first choice for treatment, are now often sought out only as a last resort when all options have failed. Forgetting that hospital is not a miracle center, the same drugs that were not working are what is applicable in hospitals just that it is often used in a professional way.
How we got here isn’t clear to me, but frankly, we are really in big mess already. A treatment of three days is stretches to a week, months and even years before being cured. A persistent infection is highly expensive as a result of the cost of drugs and hospital bill. We are becoming out of stock of antibiotics, our last resort drugs have also started exhibiting resistance. And people are dying of untreatable infections already.
I have a gist for you. Did you know that since 1987 no new antibiotic has been produced (Silver,2011)? And the one available are fading away. Where do we go from here? It is shameful that antibiotics-discovered through sweat of some people- which we inherited are no longer effective as they used to be. We neither succeed in new production and still, we failed to safeguard the existing one for future generations.
A Call to Action: Preserve What We Have
It is really being tough already, but it will get tougher if nothing is done. Do not use antibiotics when not needed, so that it can work for us when mostly needed and be sure your prescription is guided by laboratory test results. Most importantly, when given prescription complete the full course, do not keep for future use. Embrace preventive measures like hand washing and vaccination in your daily practice to prevent being infected.
Let us act now, not with chaos but with purpose. A stern warning, delivered with conviction, can do more than a hundred rash decisions. The power to change the future of antibiotics lies in our hands. Let’s make sure that when we meet Alexander Fleming again, we can tell him that his gift was not in vain.
References
O’Neill J. Review on Antimicrobial Resistance Antimicrobial Resistance: Tackling a crisis for the health and wealth of nations. London: Review on Antimicrobial Resistance; 2014. Available from: https://amr-review.org/sites/default/files/AMR%20Review%20Paper%20-%20Tackling%20a%20crisis%20for%20the%20health%20and%20wealth%20of%20nations_1.pdf [Google Scholar]
WHO, (2019). International organizations unite on critical recommendations to combat drug-resistant infections and prevent staggering number of deaths each year. Available from: https://www.who.int/news/item/29-04-2019-new-report-calls-for-urgent-action-to-avert-antimicrobial-resistance-crisis#:~:text=If%20no%20action%20is%20taken,2008%2D2009%20global%20financial%20crisis.
Silver, L. L.(2011). Challenges of antibacterial discovery. Clin. Microbiol. Rev. 24, 71–109.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3021209/
