Health Tips

We have a lot to thank for the invention of antibiotics. Before its invention, it’s common for a person to prematurely die from bacterial infection. As humanity enters the era of modern medicine, bacteria-fighting drugs known as antibiotics have helped to control and destroy many of the harmful bacteria that can make us sick. Infections are no longer a death sentence, but something that is preventable and treatable.

However, as humans advance in our means to fight bacteria, the bacteria did not sit idly.

In recent decades, antibiotics have been losing their punch against some types of bacteria. In fact, certain bacteria are now unbeatable with today’s antibiotics. Sadly, the way we’ve been using antibiotics is helping to create new drug-resistant “superbugs.” This is known as antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

In conjunction with World Antimicrobial Awareness Week 2021, we aim to refresh your understanding about AMR. 

What are superbugs?

Superbugs are strains of bacteria, viruses, parasites and fungi that are resistant to most of the antibiotics and other medications commonly used to treat the infections they cause. Some examples of superbugs in the present days are:

• Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE)

• Carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii

• Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)

• ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae (extended-spectrum β-lactamases)

• Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE)

• Multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa

• Multidrug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis 

Image credit: Blatuidi, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

What are the consequences of the emergence of superbugs?

Antimicrobial resistance is one of the greatest challenges of the 21st century. The rise of superbugs means that many patients are going to suffer from sepsis or die from infections, despite the best effort of using antibiotics. Each year in the United States, at least 2.8 million people are infected with antibiotic-resistant bacteria or fungi, and more than 35,000 people die as a result. The emergence of superbugs also poses a threat to patients who undergo surgery for other medical conditions and mothers who undergo C-section to give birth. Not to mention the health risk it may cause upon immunocompromised populations, such as those with diabetes, organ transplant, kidney diseases and cancer.

What can you do?

Fighting antimicrobial resistance is no easy feat, but we all have a role to play. To stop the spread of superbugs, here are some important reminders:

• Wash your hands regularly and keep good personal hygiene to prevent infections, so that you do not even need antibiotics in the first place.

• You should take antibiotics only when a doctor prescribes them to you. 

• You should never take antibiotics prescribed to someone else, and you should not take antibiotics that were prescribed to you for a previous illness. When prescribing an antibiotic, doctors and nurses have to carefully pick the right antibiotic for a particular infection. Not all antibiotics work on all bacteria. 

• If an antibiotic did not work for you before, that does not mean it will never work for you. If you have used an antibiotic before and it did not work, tell your doctor. But keep in mind that the infection you had before might not have been caused by the same bacteria that you have now. The "best" antibiotic is the right one for the bacteria causing the infection, not for the person with the infection.

• If you are prescribed antibiotics, finish all of the medicine and take it exactly as directed. Never skip doses or stop taking the medicine without talking to your doctor. Stopping the antibiotics on your own may give rise to antibiotic resistance.

• Do not pressure your doctor for antibiotics when they do not think you need them. 

• Antibiotics are a Prescriber Category B item in Malaysia, meaning you can’t get them without a doctor’s prescription. You should not buy them at any pharmacies without a doctor’s prescription (and it is also against the law for the pharmacy to sell their customers antibiotics without prescription).

One Health Concept

As we deepen our understanding about modern medicine, environmental science and zoonotic disease, it has become clear that AMR is also an environmental issue. One Health is an approach that recognizes that the health of people is closely connected to the health of animals and our shared environment. One Health is not new, but it has become more important in recent years. This is because many factors have changed interactions between people, animals, plants, and our environment:

• Human populations are growing and expanding into new geographic areas. As a result, more people live in close contact with wild and domestic animals, both livestock and pets. Animals play an important role in our lives, whether for food, fiber, livelihoods, travel, sport, education, or companionship. Close contact with animals and their environments provides more opportunities for diseases to pass between animals and people.

• The earth has experienced changes in climate and land use, such as deforestation and intensive farming practices. Disruptions in environmental conditions and habitats can provide new opportunities for diseases to pass to animals.

• The movement of people, animals, and animal products has increased from international travel and trade. As a result, diseases can spread quickly across borders and around the globe.

All these reasons have given rise to more health concerns, such as zoonotic diseases, food safety and AMR. One Health requires everyone from different sectors and expertise to work together and address this issue at the animal-human-environment interface. Just know that AMR is a huge endeavor, and it’s up to our individual choices as well as our collective collaboration to slow its progression.

Read more about antibiotics use in our previous article here.

A word from DOC2US

If you have any questions related to antibiotics, you can consult our professional doctors and healthcare professionals on DOC2US. DOC2US is a mobile application that allows you to talk to a doctor or any healthcare professionals via text chat at any time and from anywhere. For better communication, you can even send our online doctor images or voice messages related to your medical inquiry.

Download DOC2US app on Apple App Store, Google Play Store and Huawei App Gallery; or use our web chat at https://web.doc2us.com/

Note: DOC2US is not for medical emergencies. In the event of urgent medical conditions, please call 999.

Disclaimer: As a service to our users and general public, DOC2US provides health education contents. Please note the date of last review or update on all articles. No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician.

Specific references have been linked in its relevant part of the article. 

Written by

Ms Joyce Toh