Nation 'needs antibiotics plan'

Nation 'needs antibiotics plan'

Drug-resistant bugs cause rising death toll

Sensible national policies on antibiotic use to fight antimicrobial resistance (AMR) are urgently needed to tackle the problem of drug resistance threatening Thailand and other Asean countries, heath experts warn.

AMR describes microorganisms' resistance to antibacterial, antiviral, antiparasitic and anti-fungal drugs. It is caused by improper medicine use, for example, taking substandard doses or not finishing a prescribed treatment course.

Low-quality medicines, wrong prescriptions and poor infection control also encourage the spread of drug resistance.

The experts say that according to the World Health Organisation (WHO)'s "Antimicrobial Resistance: Global Report on Surveillance", antibiotic resistance is a growing problem in South and Southeast Asia, including such Asean countries as Thailand, Myanmar and Indonesia.

They were speaking at a seminar "A Way Forward in Combatting Antibiotic Resistance" organised by Chulalongkorn University's pharmaceutical science faculty to mark Antibiotic Awareness Day 2014 yesterday.

Thai experts said that between 41-91% of antibiotic prescriptions in Thailand are "irrational" or inappropriate and are issued at health facilities from community clinic level to provincial hospitals.

Misunderstanding is rife over antibiotics, used for bacterial infections. For example, patients with respiratory tract infections — 85% of which are caused by viruses — often receive antibiotics which do not work against viruses.

Pathom Sawanpanyalert, deputy secretary-general of the Food and Drug Administration, expressed concern over Thailand's AMR burden which is higher than that of the European Union and the US.

"About 38,000 out of Thailand's population of 67 million die as a result of AMR each year, compared to 23,000 deaths out of 300 million in the US, and 25,000 out of 500 million in the EU," Dr Pathom said.

He called for collaboration among government agencies such as the Agriculture and Cooperative Ministry, the National Health Security Office, medical universities and civil society groups to work together to combat antimicrobial resistance as the problems go beyond the jurisdiction of the Public Health Ministry. Antibiotics are being given to animals in the farming sector which can pass AMR onto humans when meat is consumed.

Niyada Kiatying-Angsulee from Chulalongkorn University's Drug System Monitoring and Development Programme warned that Thailand lacks a national policy to fight AMR despite numerous campaigns and research being undertaken.

"National policy is still in the clouds," she said.

Experts also called for more action from Asean countries especially in formulating national policies to combat AMR since it is a transnational issue. For example, cases of resistance to artemisinin, the most effective anti-malaria drug, have been found along the Thailand-Cambodia border where people cross back and forth.

Krang Sidonn from Cambodia's Department of Communicable Disease said many Cambodians treat disease by getting antibiotics from drug stores.

"They do not get proper doses and may re-use the same medicine for new illnesses which raises the chance of antibiotic resistance," he said.

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