DANGER BELLS ARE RINGING FOR ANTIBIOTICS

Winter is coming soon. With the change of weather, flu is coming back and antibiotics are getting out of their hiding places. We believe that antibiotics will cure anything that we face but the specialists explain the otherwise. Wrong use of antibiotics comes with a lot of negative results and threats.

After the discovery of penicillin at 1928, antibiotics became an overused, misunderstood drug that was abused and ended up causing microorganism to create a certain defense against the drug. Antibiotics are drugs that target parasites and bacteria, hence, they are not effective for the common flu, colds etc. Antibiotics do not carry anti-inflammatory benefits and are not painkillers. These types of effects are the effects of infections and not every infection is bacterial, making antibiotics useless in this situation.

Using an antibiotic someone else used is risky and wrong. Antibiotics, should be taken under control with appropriate doses and with doctor’s recommendation because antibiotics are not innocent drugs. As an example, when we want to retain ourselves from a bacterial infection or feel ill we should not use antibiotics without consulting a doctor first because these kinds of drugs come with unwanted side effects as well as cause resistance. Antibiotic resistance holds a certain threat against the public health while increasing the risks of death caused by infections. When our bodies become resistant against antibiotics there is a high increase in untreatable infections, longer sicknesses and consulting doctors more often. There are also other unwanted side effects of antibiotic resistance. Even though we don’t notice it immediately, antibiotic usage could harm the liver and kidney critically, as well as cause some serious allergic reactions and diarrhea. In a research conducted by the Ministry of Health, Every 112 million prescriptions out of 336 million contain antibiotics; World Health Organization says that every 1 out of 7 prescription having antibiotics is normal.

Turkey needs to educate its pharmacists, health personal and society, explain the threats faced in case of antibiotics resistance and regulate the antibiotic usage in agriculture and animal farming.

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