All World
Gayatri Pariwar

Medicines have become an element of surprise and a cause of concern. This is because they have begun to aggravate diseases instead of curing them. No one has a solution. The doctors are perplexed and the patients are annoyed. The outcome of intensive research and in-depth studies has startled everyone. These findings show that unnecessary use of medicines has created a trend in which people not only take medicines for every small ailments, but also advise others to do so. This habit is now a fashion, a passion and a mark of being educated and aware. Sometimes, it is even considered a status symbol. People think that they should take strong drugs, irrespective of whether the disease is minor or major. Nowadays, a shelf of medicines is found in every house.

This practice is not merely confined to general medicines, but has now spread even to antibiotics. The literal meaning of the word antibiotics is- ‘against life’. In fact, due to their misuse, they have really begun acting against our life. Experts say that unnecessary consumption of antibiotics is increasing the longevity of the microbes on the one hand, while adversely affecting the patient’s health on the other. This is because due to the over- use of these medicines the resistance of microorganisms is increasing, while the immunity of the individuals is decreasing. The medical experts have now begun to accept openly that neither the doctors refrain from prescribing the antibiotics for even simple ailments, nor the patients observe restraint in consuming them.

It is a matter of concern that these medicines are used excessively without understanding their side-effects. Recently, the World Health Organization has also issued an advisory to the Southeast Asian countries, including India. It has warned that if the unrestricted use of antibiotics continues, then the coming time may witness a substantial rise in the number of deaths occurring due to ‘microbial resistance’.

Antibiotics either destroy the disease-causing bacteria completely or prohibit their growth. However, their prolonged use gives rise to mutation in the bacteria, which makes them resistant towards these drugs. Consequently, they stop having any effect on them. This situation is termed by medical experts as ‘microbial resistance’. Various researches and studies carried out in this context also lead to the conclusion that medicines are becoming poisonous.

The chief cause of this situation is the unrestrained use of antibiotics. Studies have revealed that sometimes strong antibiotics are taken even for treating simple problems. As a result, the bacteria build strong resistive power against them. Experts believe that if the careless consumption of these antibiotics continues as such, then even the easily curable diseases would become incurable in the years to come. If not dealt with properly, the number of deaths due to antimicrobial resistance would reach ten million by the year 2050. A big portion of this would be from the Southeast Asia, including India. Consequently, our GDP could suffer an estimated loss of 2-3.5%. Seriously, the pace with which antibiotics are becoming ineffective is a cause of concern for India.

The problem has an even more dangerous aspect. Many antibiotics have no substitute, so they are the sole medicines for treating particular diseases. Therefore, their ineffectiveness is a big threat. Recently, the ‘Health Protection Agency’ of England, on the basis of a study, has warned that antibiotics should not be used unnecessarily, especially for treating minor infections.

This health hazard is being faced by all thenations of the globe. Yet, even the developed world is not able to prevent the misuse of these drugs. In Europe alone, around 25,000 people lose their life every year due to the development of bacterial resistance. This is an outcome of drug over-use and is evenly affecting every part of the world. This is the reason why World Health Organization has been warning the world for a long time. In the year 2011 WHO, for the first time, appealed to all nations of the world to curtail the misuse of these medicines. This is because about 4 million lives are lost globally only because antibiotics did not work on them. The point to note is that this number is far more than the deaths occurring due to tuberculosis and malaria.

According to another research of W.H.O., every Indian, on an average takes antibiotics eleven times in a year. Moreover, the issue is not only about the number of times these drugs are taken, but it also involves the careless way in which they are taken. This further gives rise to health related problems. The BRICS nations, which include- Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, constitute 4.06% of the global antibiotics consumption, which has increased with time.

Some time back, W.H.O. has conducted a research regarding India. This research has further highlighted the fact that, in our country, over half the population ignores the ill-effects of these drugs and takes them on their own, without medical consultation. This is very dangerous for health. In India, people buy and consume antibiotics for every small problem, like cold-flue-fever without consulting the physician or the healthcare professionals; this may prove dangerous. Moreover, many medicines are sold just because of their brand, even when W.H.O. has permitted only a handful of medicines. This is very harmful because many medicines are sold in the market without passing through quality checks. As a result of this casual attitude, the antibiotics, which had once revolutionized the health sector, have now become one of the greatest threats to our health. Therefore, W.H.O. has advised all nations to devise a mechanism for monitoring the use of antibiotics, so that some rules could be formulated for appropriate use of these drugs. With such a mechanism in place, neither would doctors be able to prescribe antibiotics unnecessarily, nor would patients be able to buy them from the chemist on their own.

This health related challenge may be dealt with by being aware at the individual level and initiating awareness campaigns at the social level. Individuals, administration and the society – all - should think and understand in this regard. Doctors, patients and chemists, all have to realize their responsibility because the carelessness affiliated to antibiotics is not only dangerous at the individual level, but is also extremely harmful for the whole society. Also, it is essential to turn towards a natural lifestyle and naturopathy. Positive changes in our lifestyles will boost our immunity, which will in turn augment our vitality. This will decrease diseases and thus reduce our dependence on medicines.