EXPERT WARNS ANTIBIOTIC MISUSE COULD TURN DEADLY
Up to 38,000 Thais could be dying from antibiotic-resistant bacteria annually because of overprescription and the prevalence of the drugs in food and the water supply, research has found.
Drug System Monitoring Mechanism Development Centre manager Niyada Kiatying-Angsulee said her research found Thailand had a worryingly high fatality rate due to antibiotic resistance, but the problem was hidden because the cause of death was usually listed as something else.
Dr Niyada said with people being routinely exposed to antibiotics, both directly and indirectly, there was a greater chance for bacteria to become resistant and deadly.
“At least 100 people die per day in Thailand alone from antibiotic resistance,” Dr Niyada said. “You may not think it is a big problem unless the person affected is someone you know. But it killed as many people as deadly diseases like cancer.”
Dr Niyada, a drug researcher and assistant professor at Chulalongkorn University’s faculty of pharmaceutical sciences, presented her initial research for Antibiotic Awareness Week 2015, held from Tuesday to Thursday. Her final results are expected by the end of the year.
Dr Niyada has examined antibiotic resistance in Thailand, Europe and America, finding there were 77,000 cases where it caused death. Thailand had 38,000 cases, which was greater than all of Europe, which recorded 25,000 deaths. She acknowledged the data was limited and said Thailand had only become focused on the problem in the past three years.
According to Ministry of Public Health, the number one cause of death last year was cancer, with 70,075 fatalities, followed by hypertension and stroke with 32,229, and accidents and poisoning, which killed 31,847 people.
Dr Niyada said it was important to be aware of the dangers of antibiotic resistance.
“When you go to see the doctor and they prescribe you antibiotic pills, you have every right to ask the doctor if your symptom is caused by a virus or bacteria,” Dr Niyada said. “If it is bacteria then take the pills, if it is virus then say no. Keep in mind that there is nothing that can kill a virus.”
Yet even patients who refuse to take antibiotics are not necessarily safe. According to DMD research, meat, fruit and vegetables in Thai markets have all been found to contain antibiotics.
Research conducted in 2012 by Siriraj Hospital and the National Institute of Health found 56.7% of chicken meat bought from Bangkok supermarkets breached the limit of allowable coliform bacteria, and multidrug-resistant phenotypes of both S enterica and E coli were found.
Dr Niyada warned people could also be exposed to antibiotics from the water supply, as waste from animals treated with antibiotics ends up in river networks which are used to irrigate crops.
Dr Niyada said patients with antibiotic-resistant diseases get sick easily and do not easily recover with conventional means.
“All patients have the right to know what they are taking. So please ask the doctor what is the name of the pill. If it is avoidable, do not take antibiotics too often,” Dr Niyada said.