DHAKA: Most of the people are becoming antibiotic resistant that is antibiotics are not working for the disease. As a result, health sector or public health is facing huge threats, experts said.

The horrifying information was revealed this at a seminar organized at the Sasakawa Auditorium of the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research-Bangladesh (icddr,b) on Wednesday (April 10).

“More than 60 percent of people in Bangladesh are unconsciously having antibiotics without consulting with the doctor, said a recent survey. Most of them become antibiotics resistant or antibiotics are not working for disease”, experts said at the seminar titled ‘Pathways of Antibiotic Use in Bangladesh: The PAUSE study’. 

It was   arranged to release the study report on the use of antibiotics in Bangladesh conducted by icddr,b and UK research associate organizations (Loughborough University, Durham University, Bristol University).

Speakers at the seminar said Antimicrobial resistance is a growing problem for the world. The use of large amounts of antimicrobial (especially antibiotics) accelerates antimicrobial resistance.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is the ability of a microbe to resist the effects of medication that once could successfully treat the microbe. The term antibiotic resistance is a subset of AMR, as it applies only to bacteria becoming resistant to antibiotics.

“Antibiotics are vital to fight against bacterial infections, but many bacteria are now becoming resistant against antibiotics,” they added. 

Experts also called for general people including the government to play a leading role in preventing the sale of antibiotics without prescription.

Director General of Health Department Professor Dr. Abul Kalam Azad attended the seminar as chief guest. Md Salauddin, Assistant director of the Department of Drug Administration, was also present. 

They highlighted the details of action taken by the government successfully and its role in this regard so far.

BDST: 1930 HRS, APR 10, 2019
RS/SMS