Symposium calls for avoiding unnecessary use of antibiotics

PESHAWAR: A daylong awareness symposium at the Khyber Teaching Hospital called for avoiding the unnecessary use of antibiotics.

The seminar on antimicrobial was held in collaboration with Public Health Association Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Department of Health and National Institution of Health.Board of Governors member Dr Nadeem Alam was the chief guest at the event.

The guest speakers were Dr Asim Saeed and Dr Mumtaz Ali of National Institution of Health and KTH Assistant Prof Medical Dr Awais Naeem. The symposium was attended by Medical Director Prof Dr Rooh-ul-Muqim, Chairman Medicine Prof Dr Muhammad Humayun, Prof Medicine Dr Hashimuddin, Prof Surgery Dr Mah Munir, faculty members, supervisors, consultants, postgraduate residents, Public Health Association Khyber Pakhtunkhwa President Dr Saima Abid and others.

World Antibiotic Awareness Week is celebrated in November to enhance global awareness of antibiotic resistance. The awareness symposium was arranged to encourage the best practices among the general public, health workers and policy makers to avoid further development of antibiotic resistance.

Antibiotics are considered as the foundation of modern medicine. However, the overuse and misuse of antibiotics have encouraged the emergence and spread of antibiotic resistance.Antibiotic resistance is a growing problem in Pakistan.

According to Centre for Disease Control and Prevention reports antibiotic resistance happens when germs like bacteria and fungi develop the ability to defeat the drugs designed to kill them and germs continue to grow.

Infections caused by antibiotic resistant germs are difficult and sometimes impossible to treat. In most cases these infections require extended hospital stays, additional follow-up visits and costly and toxic alternatives.

The AMR or Anti-Microbial Resistance has the potential to affect people at any stage of life, as well as the health care, veterinary and agriculture industries making it one of the world’s most urgent public health problem.

According to WHO AMR occurs naturally but is facilitated by the inappropriate use of medicines e.g. using antibiotics for viral infections such as flu, cold or sharing antibiotics. Lack of government commitment to address these issues, poor surveillance and protection and prevention hinder to control this problem.

The Global Action Plan to tackle AMR was endorsed in the 68th session of the world health assembly (WHA) in Geneva in May 2015 attended by all countries including Pakistan.Prof Dr Rooh-ul-Muqim thanked the organizers and organization for arranging such an informative symposium. As AMR awareness is really spreading in Pakistan, he said, “We need to do needful planning and implementation to overcome the problem.”

Government of Pakistan has already taken several initiatives to address AMR. An early implementation of National AMR surveillance system (Global Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance System, GLASS) in collaboration with WHO is in place.

According to Antimicrobial Resistance National Action Plan Pakistan problem of AMR is growing in Pakistan due to unnecessary large number of registered products (approx 50,000); unjustified or misleading advertisement with only 15 per cent brochures meeting WHO criteria; self-medication is more than 50 per cent and 600,000 quacks in country.

The highest number of drugs prescribed is 3 drugs/patients and 70 percent patients are prescribed antibiotics. Availability of over the counter medicine is 70 percent only few institutions has optional prescription policies Bacterial resistance has been documented in several studies and surveys conducted in over a decade in Pakistan.

Different studies conducted from 2004-2013 indicate increasing resistance of E coli to 3rd generation cephalosporins from 12 pc to 94 pc among clinical isolates. Typhoid is claimed to be important public health threat across the country.

Prof Dr Muhammad Humayun said the diagnostic laboratory quality should be strengthened. Dr Nadeem Alam said he would arrange meeting with competent authorities if the institution required any help in this regard.