Consultant microbiologist urges changing ‘pill popping’ culture

Antibiotic resistance can result

by Chaminda Silva

The Sri Lanka College of Microbiologists (SLCM) warns people to get out of their casual ‘pill popping’ culture and not risk developing antibiotic resistance.

President of the SLCM, Consultant Clinical Microbiologist, Dr. Geethika Patabendige, said that ‘antibiotic resistance’ due to the unnecessary and excessive use of antibiotics is now developing into a global health crisis.

“In Sri Lanka too we have observed many people use antibiotics haphazardly. This has very dangerous consequences. We have observed signs of antibiotic resistance in patients we treat. That means we too are on a fast-track to a situation where common bacterial infections are no longer treatable,” she said.

She explained antibiotic resistance is a condition where bacteria adapt to resist antibiotics. Such adaptation can happen for many reasons including misuse of the medications. Unnecessary and over use of antibiotics help germs like bacteria and fungi to develop the ability to defeat the drugs designed to kill them. That means the germs are not killed and continue to grow. Infections caused by antibiotic-resistant germs are difficult, and sometimes impossible, to treat, she said.

“World health experts have identified antibiotic resistance as a ticking time bomb. WHO has cautioned that close to 10 million people are expected to fall victim to antibiotic-resistant bacteria by 2050 as a result of misuse and overuse of antibiotics.”

She urged people to refrain from using antibiotics without a prescription issued by qualified a medical officer registered at the Sri Lanka Medical Council.

“People themselves can wash their hands properly and follow health guidelines such as wearing a mask correctly to ward off infections rather than resorting to antibiotics,” Dr Patabendige said.

Antimicrobials—including antibiotics, antivirals, anti-fungals, and anti-parasitics are medicines used to prevent and treat infections in humans, animals, and plants. Bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites are constantly changing, and sometimes do not respond to medicines used to treat the infections they cause.

This antimicrobial resistance makes infections harder to treat, which increases the risk of disease spread, severe illness and death. It emerges naturally, usually through genetic changes.