“ WHO has declared that Antimicrobial Resistance is one of the top 10 global public health threats facing Humanity”

Imagine if the WHO had not been so focussed on the Coronavirus Pandemic in the last two years. We might have been hearing a lot more from them about Antimicrobial Resistance.

Researchers have been trying to alert us to this serious global problem for many years but, on this subject, we seem to have become embroiled in a dangerous game of pass the parcel.

Governments look to Big Pharma to develop newer and more effective Antibiotics. In turn,

Big Pharma looks to governments for grants and subsidies to enable them to invest in the necessary research and….

In the meantime, Antimicrobial resistance continues to develop apace.

We know that moves are afoot to provide Pharmaceutical companies with the necessary financial assurances that their work will not go unrecognised. Governments also recognise the Pharmaceutical Industries obligations to shareholders and that we cannot expect anything from them for free. But, in the meantime, we are running out of time to create a new generation of Antibiotics.

The irony, you might even say the Elephant in the room is, of course, the role that over-use of Antibiotics plays in increasing the rise in Resistance.

We need to help ourselves.

As a society, we are in danger of becoming over-medicalised. We have come to believe that there is a pill, powder or potion on hand for our every ailment. Anecdotally, GPs tell us that Antibiotics are often being demanded as a starting point by patients, without understanding that their symptoms cannot be ‘cured’ by a course of Antibiotics.

A significant proportion of Antibiotics prescribed to the over 60s, is for ailments that, with proper care and education, could have been avoided. Urinary Tract Infections, for example, account for over 60% of hospital admissions in the over 65s.

A UTI is, in so many cases, an avoidable condition. It often occurs as a result of Low Intake Dehydration – in plain English, not drinking enough.

Individuals and those that care for the elderly and frail need to be made aware of the consequences arising from not drinking enough fluids during the day. Carers, working under considerable pressure with their day to day care duties, need our help in understanding the signs and symptoms of Low Intake Dehydration.

In this country alone, over £400 million is spent on admissions to hospital for conditions resulting from Low Intake Dehydration. And they can be prevented by simply making people aware of the vital importance of maintaining good levels of hydration.

There is so much that is not understood about this subject and the effect it has on Antibiotic over-use.

Imagine a government awareness campaign about the importance of hydration on our health? Or, better still, create awareness about the dangers to us all if Antibiotic overuse is allowed to grow. We’ve seen the positive impact simple campaigns can have. Think about Seat Belt use in Cars, Anti-Smoking Campaigns, Drink Driving, Speeding.

This needn’t be a finger-wagging exercise from an overweening Nanny State. There is an existential problem and we need to be made aware.

With all of us engaged in taking care of ourselves, we could make a dent in the many avoidable conditions that lead to overuse of Antibiotics.