Overuse of antibiotics a dangerous global trend, research shows

The old saying too much is not enough doesn’t apply when it comes to society’s use of antibiotics.

An alarming trend is growing worldwide as antibiotic resistance is rising to dangerously high levels and is threatening our ability to treat common, infectious diseases, according to some health officials.

Research is showing Newfoundland and Labrador is prescribing more antibiotics per capita than anywhere else in Canada and several organizations in this province are banding together to try and get a conversation started on this alarming trend.

To bring the information surrounding this overuse to the forefront, the Faculty of Medicine at Memorial University’s Quality of Care NL program, has partnered with Choosing Wisely NL and the Newfoundland and Labrador Medical Association to echo the World Health Organization’s recognition of World Antibiotic Awareness week from Nov. 13-19.

“What we are trying to accomplish is an awareness for the public and for physicians is the importance of having the conversation, and why it’s important,” Lynn Taylor, manager of Quality Care NL said Friday.

“Patients that are tired of being sick, need to be told that sometimes you just have to wait it out because their infection is not the type that warrants the use of an antibiotic,’’ she added.

She said she knows that is not what people want to hear, especially when a sick child involved, but the research has been confirmed that overuse or over-prescribing of antibiotics leads to resistance from a build up of the drugs in the patient and then when they have an issue where they actually need it, it doesn’t work.

In addition, she said, from a physician’s angle, it gives them some help when they are telling people to wait it out.

Throughout the next four weeks, the Quality of Care initiatives — part of the Translational and Personalize Medicine Initiative with NL SUPPORT — are going to focus on several key messages about antibiotics.

The World Antibiotic Awareness week has been held in November since its inception in 2015 with the theme “Antibiotics: Handle with care.” The global, multi-year campaign has an increasing volume of activities during the week of the campaign and health-care communities such as those in Newfoundland and Labrador are working to educate the public about these very issues.

NOTE - The Telegram will team with the Quality of Care NL and its partners to inform the public on these issues in the coming weeks.