Antibiotics ineffective soon?

The current antibiotics may be ineffective in 10 to 20 years. We are losing the war against infectious diseases. This is the cry of alarm has just launched the World Health Organization (WHO).

 
According to the report "Overcoming microbial resistance"Released June 12, 2000 by WHO, some curable diseases - from sore throats to ear through tuberculosis - may become incurable. This document describes how the seeds of almost all major infectious diseases start slowly, but inexorably, to resist the drugs available. This phenomenon, called the drug, continues to grow.

"It took 20 years to develop penicillin and allow its use and 20 years were also sufficient for the drug to become virtually useless for treating gonorrhea (sexually transmitted disease causing inflammation of the urethra or prostate Rights and bladder or cervix in women) in most of the world, "said Dr. David Heymann, Executive Director for Communicable Diseases at WHO.
Such cases of drug resistance are exceptions and most infectious diseases now have effective medicines. But for how long?

Why such an increase in resistance of microbes?

The natural phenomenon of antimicrobial resistance is magnified today because the human misuse of antimicrobial drugs it has.

The global war against bacteria

 
1 - In Estonia, Latvia and in some parts of the Russian Federation and China for example, over 10% of tuberculosis patients have strains resistant to antibiotics most powerful
2 - In Thailand, the three most common antimalarial drugs are most effective. In 30% of patients taking lamivudine against hepatitis B, resistance is emerging after a year of treatment,
3 - In India, 60% of cases of visceral leishmaniasis (serious parasitic infection linked to dogs and rodents and transmitted to humans by the bite of certain flies) unresponsive to first-line drugs. In the case of HIV infection, there is already a primary resistance to AZT,
4 - In the United States, approximately 14 000 inpatients are infected and die each year because of drug-resistant microbes picked up in hospitals.
Worldwide, up 60% of nosocomial infections are caused by drug resistant bacteria (resistant to antibiotics).  

In poor countries: the underuse of drugs facilitates the emergence of resistance. Do not receive the means to purchase drugs in quantities sufficient for a complete treatment, patients tend to fall back on counterfeit medicines, obtained on the black market. Such practices lead to destruction of the weaker germs while the strongest survive and reproduce.

In rich countries: the misuse of drugs is the cause of drug resistance. Under pressure from patients, we see many over-prescription by the health services. Other practical pinned by the WHO, the misuse of antimicrobials in food contributes to the development of the phenomenon of resistance. Half of the production of antibiotics used in treatment of sick animals to promote growth of livestock and poultry or processing of crops against pests.

How to respond?

"We are literally in a race against time as these reduce the global infectious disease before the disease can reduce the usefulness of drugs," summarizes Dr. Heymann, who added that currently there n 'there are no new drugs or vaccines to emerge.

In order to limit drug resistance, WHO recommends therefore hit the target at once, that is to say, to destroy the seed and thus to overcome the resistance before it starts. This strategy and the proper treatment of the patient.

 

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