Antibiotics are acclaimed as one of the most significant advances in modern medicine, and rightly so. They have saved millions of lives around the world in the treatment of bacterial infections. However, over the past decade, antibiotic resistance has become one of the significant public health issues around the globe, and Bangladesh is no exception. The abuse and overusing of antibiotics, combined with the weak infrastructure of medical services, created perfect conditions for developing safe types of microorganisms that are more eager to treat and develop severe threats to patient safety.
Recent overviews led by public health agencies in Bangladesh uncover that roughly 70% of antibiotic prescriptions are considered unnecessary or inappropriate. A joint report by the Directorate General of Drug Administration (DGDA) and the World Health Organization (WHO) highlights that self-medication, powered by simple admittance to over-the-counter antibiotics, is an essential variable adding to obstruction because buying antibiotics without proper clinical advice is unregulated, especially in rural areas, where clinical advice is limited and pharmacies more often than not sell antibiotics without prescriptions. A study conducted by the International Centre for Diarrheal Disease Research, Bangladesh, found that about 45% of urban people stop taking antibiotics early, thinking they are no longer needed after symptoms improve.
Healthcare providers in Bangladesh play a critical part in the developing antibiotics opposition emergency. Sometimes, doctors overprescribe antibiotics due to patient demand or misdiagnosis. In support, a survey in 2023 by the Bangladesh Medical Journal showed that 30% of physicians responded that they prescribe antibiotics even when the need for them is doubtful. This overprescription furthers the resistance process of bacteria. Besides, pharmacists may be ill-prepared for such a task - their services being the first point of contact for medical advice in Bangladesh. Indeed, according to the Journal of Global Antimicrobial Resistance, one study from 2021 showed that over 50% of pharmacists in Bangladesh reported having to sell antibiotics without proper prescription.
The general unawareness of the grave threat to life caused by antibiotic resistance among ordinary people remains a major contributing factor. A survey of 500 families in Dhaka and Chittagong revealed that 64% of the respondents used antibiotics without any prescription from a physician, not less than once during the previous year. Still, more surprisingly, only 25% of them completed their entire course of antibiotic treatment, further accelerating resistant bacteria. Such discoveries demonstrate a fundamental issue where public awareness and administrative oversight fall short.
The results of antibiotic resistance are far-reaching and pose a significant threat to public health in Bangladesh. Regular bacterial infections like urinary tract infections (UTIs), pneumonia, and tuberculosis are becoming harder to treat as the bacteria that cause them become resistant to standard antibiotics. A recent study conducted by the World Health Organization (WHO) in Bangladesh reported a worrying rise in multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB), a strain of tuberculosis that does not respond to the two most potent TB drugs. The study highlighted that approximately 4,000 new cases of MDR-TB are reported in Bangladesh every year.
An illustrative model should be visible because Klebsiella pneumoniae is a typical bacterium that can cause hazardous contaminations. Hospitals across the country have detailed a spike in cases of resistant carbapenems, a class of last-resort antibiotics. Patients with carbapenem-resistant diseases face restricted treatment choices, prompting higher death rates and expanded medical services costs.
Dr. Hasan Mahmud, an infectious disease specialist at a leading Dhaka hospital, described the case of a 55-year-old patient who succumbed to an infection resistant to multiple antibiotics, regardless of broad therapy. "Cases like these are no longer rare," he said, adding that abuse of antibiotic agents, particularly for minor illnesses, is pushing the country toward a potential healthcare crisis.
The antibiotics emergency in Bangladesh originates from overprescription by healthcare providers, weak medication guidelines permitting over-the-counter deals, widespread public misconceptions about antibiotics' effectiveness against viruses, and agricultural practices that involve antibiotics for growth promotion and disease prevention, leading to resistant bacteria entering the human food chain
Preventing antibiotic resistance in Bangladesh requires solid guidelines to stop over-the-counter deals without prescription and authorize punishments for resistance. Public education campaigns are fundamental to advance mindfulness about legitimate antibiotic use and the risks of self-medication. Preparing programs for healthcare providers ought to energize evidence-based prescribing, while standard treatment rules should be laid out. Putting resources into exploration and observation projects will assist with checking obstruction designs and illuminating approaches. Furthermore, stricter guidelines on antibiotic use in domesticated animals should be executed, advancing better cleanliness and immunization as choices. These joint efforts will guarantee the capable utilization of antibiotics and protect public health.
The safety of medication, especially antibiotics, is presently not simply a medical concern. It is a societal issue that requires the aggregate exertion of the public authority, medical services experts, and the general public to safeguard the health of future generations.Dr. Mahmud aptly summarized, "The solution lies not just in limiting antibiotic use, but in using them responsibly. It's a battle we must win for our collective health."
The writer is a student, Department of Pharmacy, World University of Bangladesh
