bacteria resistant to antibiotics

Antibiotic Resistance and Public Health

Antibiotic resistance occurs as bacteria outwit the antibiotics. The emergence of super-resistant bacteria and pests such as rats and mice poses a serious danger to public health. Antibiotic resistance can be exacerbated by widespread overuse and improper antibiotic prescribing habits. As a result, shielding ourselves from resistant strains of bacteria necessitates cooperation among patients, healthcare facility managers, healthcare professionals, and policymakers in order to implement successful policies aimed at improving antibiotic usage (Giamarellou, 2010).

In such collaborative work, prescriptions should be provided based on the patients’ test results to ensure that the healthcare providers prescribe the right antibiotic. Besides, patients must take the antibiotics strictly as per the doctor’s prescription, and they must complete the prescribed treatment course, as well as not skip doses, even when they begin to feel better (Giamarellou, 2010). Additionally, patients must always take only the antibiotics prescribed for them without sharing or using leftover antibiotics. That is because antibiotics only treat specific bacterial infections and consuming incorrect drugs may delay correct treatment and enhance the multiplication of bacteria (Giamarellou, 2010). Also, preventing resistant strains of bacteria requires patients not take antibiotics when they do not need them. Healthcare providers must always ensure correct prescription of antibiotics, document the doses, as well as stay informed of patterns of antibiotic resistance (Giamarellou, 2010).

Controlling Resistant Pests

On the other hand, controlling pests such as rats and mice that are becoming immune to the poisons created to keep them under control requires the introduction of new legislations that would permit the use of more toxic poisons (Rogers, 2016). That is because rats and mice are increasingly becoming resistant to the first and second generations of poisons and there is a need for new legislations to permit the use of third generation poisons that would be stronger enough to deal with the growing problem of poison-resistant rats and mice (Rogers, 2016). However, such stronger poisons will attract high costs since they would require extensive monitoring (Rogers, 2016).

Conclusion

In conclusion, it is essential for relevant authorities to put appropriate measures towards ensuring effective control of super resistant bacteria and animals. The multiplication of both the super resistant bacteria and rats pose a significant threat to public health. It is, therefore, necessary for control measures to be effected before the situation gets out of control.

References

Giamarellou, H. (2010). Multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria: how to treat and for how long. International Journal Of Antimicrobial Agents, 36, S50-S54. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijantimicag.2010.11.014

Rogers, N. (2016). How these island rats survived 75 metric tons of poison. Science. http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.aaf9941