DOH issues caveat on antibiotics use

Antibiotics will do more harm than good if misused since it will generate deadlier kinds of diseases, the Department of Health (DOH) said.

In a new three-minute video ad, DOH spokesperson Lyndon Lee Suy reminded the public against indiscriminate use of antibiotics.

He said antibiotics misuse could create diseases with antimicrobial resistance (AMR), making one immune against existing antibiotics.

"If this happens, the disease will easily get worse and even lead to death," Lee Suy said.

To avoid this, he urged patients not to self-medicate and consult medical experts before taking any drugs.

"No to abuse and misuse of antibiotics,” Lee Suy stressed. “Consult a doctor first when using antibiotics.”

The DOH video ad is focused against the misconception that antibiotics work against cough and colds. Both common diseases, the ad stresses, tend to be naturally cured and are unaffected by antibiotics.

The DOH issued the latest advisory amid a growing number of AMR diseases worldwide.

Last year, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared AMR disease as one of the major threats to public health.

In Southeast Asia, which includes the Philippines, it reported the emergence of strains of E. coli, a bacteria which causes food poisoning, and Staphylococcus aureus, a bacteria which causes skin, respiratory infection, which are resistant to common antibiotics.

This year, WHO urged its member countries to monitor AMR trends within their areas and intensify public awareness campaign against wrong practices, which causes it.