Antimicrobial resistance: Danger of kids taking too many antibiotics

The study, published in Plos One journal on June 16, shows most patients do not finish their dosage as prescribed.

It also puts medics on the spot. The study found little basis for most of these prescriptions as there were no laboratory or bacterial culture tests, to back most prescriptions.

The study is titled 'Point-Prevalence of Antibiotic use at three public referral hospitals in Kenya'.

The health facilities are Kenyatta National Hospital, Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital and the Coast General Hospital.

“High rates of antibiotic use, particularly in the pediatric and surgical population, and preference for broad-spectrum antibiotics suggest antibiotic use in these tertiary institutions is not optimal,” the study says.

“Antimicrobial stewardship programmes, policies, and guidelines should be tailored to address these areas.”

The revelation is concerning because of the growing evidence of antimicrobial resistance in Kenya.

An antimicrobial is an agent – such as an antibiotic – that kills microorganisms or stops their growth.

A study in March 2016 revealed that Kenya is already experiencing high levels of antibiotic resistance, including high rates of resistance for hospital-acquired infections, indicating that many available antimicrobial regimens such as penicillin and contrimoxalzole are unlikely to be effective against common infections.

Antibiotics are medicines used to prevent and treat bacterial infections. Antibiotic resistance occurs when bacteria change in response to the use of these medicines.

Bacteria, not humans or animals, become antibiotic-resistant. These bacteria may infect humans and animals, and the infections they cause are harder to treat than those caused by non-resistant bacteria.

This means infections that were easy to treat may in future because impossible to cure. They include diseases such as pneumonia, tuberculosis and gonorrhoea.

Antibiotic resistance leads to longer hospital stays, higher medical costs and increased deaths.

According to the World Health Organization, where antibiotics can be bought for human use without a prescription, the emergence and spread of resistance is made worse.

Similarly, in countries without standard treatment guidelines, antibiotics are often over-prescribed by health workers and over-used by the public.

“When infections can no longer be treated by first-line antibiotics, more expensive medicines must be used. A longer duration of illness and treatment, often in hospitals, increases health care costs as well as the economic burden on families and societies,” WHO says.

In 2015, the WHO developed a global action plan on antimicrobial resistance, including antibiotic resistance.

The global action plan aims to ensure prevention and treatment of infectious diseases with safe and effective medicines.

In June 2017, Kenya domesticated the WHO plan by publishing its National Action Plan on Prevention and Containment of Antimicrobial Resistance 2017-2022.

It focuses on strengthening surveillance and research programmes, improving sanitation, hygiene and preventive measure, and optimising the use of antimicrobials in animals and humans.

It also aims at developing an economic case which accounts for the country's needs and for a sustainable investment in medicines, diagnostics, vaccines and other interventions.

 

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