Call for sensible use of antibiotics
HEALTH: A mother with cystic fibrosis has joined calls for people to not misuse antibiotics as she battles chronic lung infections. Laura Harmer, 31, has physiotherapy every day to prevent deadly infections.
A MOTHER with cystic fibrosis has joined calls for people to not misuse antibiotics as she battles chronic lung infections.
Laura Harmer, 31, has physiotherapy every day and nebuliser treatment regularly to prevent life-threatening infections.
But because of growing resistance to antibiotics, there are now only two forms of potentially lifesaving antibiotics she can be prescribed when an infection develops.
Around 10 per cent of the 450 cases of E.coli, the most common bloodstream infection seen at Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust each year, are now showing a relatively high level of resistance to antibiotics.
Today, marking the start of World Antibiotics Awareness Week, Mrs Harmer, who was born with the genetic condition, which causes her lungs and digestive system to fill with mucus, said: “There are only two drugs I can take intravenously now that make a difference and even one of those doesn’t work as well as it used to.
“It’s a frightening thought that there might come a day when I am poorly and there’s nothing they can do for me.”
An estimated 5,000 people die every year in England because antibiotics no longer work for some infections, according to Public Health England, which has launched the Keep Antibiotics Working campaign.
Mrs Harmer, who lives with husband Phil and son Joe, nine, in Brough, said: “Basically I’d like people to be a bit more openminded and look at it from the perspective of someone in my situation.
“Don’t rush to the doctor for antibiotics when you don’t necessarily need them.”
Dr Gavin Barlow, consultant physician at the trust’s Department of Infection, has seen the problem of antibiotic resistance worsen in the past decade.
Countries like Greece, Italy, the US and India are already seeing untreatable infections, but Dr Barlow says while there is a problem in the UK, it’s not on the same scale.
Taking all infections into account he says possibly “in the high tens, low 100s” are dying every year in Hull as a result of antibiotic resistance.
He said: “Round the world there are something like 750,000 deaths a year due to antibiotic resistance. But I don’t think we will suffer an ‘antibiotic apocalypse’.
“I think as a whole as a society generally we are very innovative. There has to be a societal approach, not just for doctors and patients, also for vets and agriculture. The bottom line key message is only take antibiotics when you need them. From the data we have, probably in the region of a quarter to a third are presently unnecessary.”
Antibiotics do not work on many common conditions, such as colds, sore throats and some chest infections. However people should see their GP if symptoms are prolonged and develop into other issues like sickness.
Don’t rush for antibiotics if you don’t necessarily need them. Cystic fibrosis sufferer Laura Harmer who fears more infections are drug resistant.