An edutainment article by:
Wilson Khor W.H., Ronald Tan, Khoo Yan Yun,
Jocelyn Ch’ng, and Ooi Yongzhe

Have you guys ever wondered why doctors make a big fuss whenever they catch someone not finishing their antibiotics?

Believe it or not, not finishing or throwing away your antibiotics is actually a growing problem in the medical world–one that could inevitably lead to a global-scale crisis as more and more diseases and germs develop stronger antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

What on earth is AMR?

AMR happens when an antibiotic is not given enough time or dosage to fully kill all the bad germs that infected a sick person. To explain this simply, just like how our bodies grow stronger to fight chickenpox and measles after we recover from them–the germs that survived the treatment would mutate and eventually figure a way to resist that said antibiotic.

As a result, the previously effective antibiotic would eventually stop working on it anymore.

And… how can this be a problem for all of us?

With more and more germs developing stronger AMR, treatment will become even more expensive and time-consuming. Doctors and pharmacists will now have to resort to other less available or costlier drugs, or even research a whole new cure or treatment altogether, and patients will need to go through longer periods of recovery and hospitalizations in order to be well again.

This not only burdens the patients’ finances, but puts their lives at risk as well–especially to those in the developing nations (such as us in Malaysia) who mostly could not afford or have limited access to the latest medical drugs and technologies. AMR could also potentially make organ transplants, chemotherapies, and surgeries way riskier as antibiotics become less effective in preventing infections–scary, isn’t it?

And if we are not careful, we might even end up accidentally creating a new superbug. Superbugs are basically germs that have evolved so much, they are stronger than even the strongest Pokémons since none of our current medicines could kill them anymore. By then, even an infection from these germs (which could be caused by something as simple as a small cut or sneeze) could be deadly, as superbugs such as the notorious Candida auris (that according to an article in National Geographic, had caused an outbreak in the US just a few years ago) are known to cause death in 30-60% of known cases and make COVID-19’s 1% fatality rate look like child’s play.

So yeah, should that really happen and you end up contracting any one of them:

So what should we do now?

Obviously–despite antibiotics being the quickest and most convenient means to combat illness ever since its discovery in the early 20th century, capable of even curing previously incurable diseases such as syphilis–we should really stop overusing and abusing them, especially for every single boo-boo, flu, and fever for which antibiotics are not really needed at all. We should make it a habit to not accept or start an antibiotic course (and to not demand for one either if our doctors do not think we need them) unless there is a serious infection or inflammation, and to finish the prescribed dosage if we have to start one.

Another way to curb AMR is to practise and educate others on the proper disposal method of unwanted antibiotics. Used and expired medications that are flushed down the toilet or had ended up in landfills would subsequently contaminate the environment (and contribute to the advent of a new superbug and the apocalypse of all humankind), so they should always be returned back to the hospitals or pharmacies for proper disposal. Hand them back either to the staffs-on-duty (be rest assured, the Abangs and Kakaks behind the counter will not scold you!), or discard them in the specially designated bins or boxes–like the one in the image below:

In conclusion,

Just like the invasion of the clone troopers in the Star Wars universe, AMR poses a dangerous public health threat that requires immediate attention. While stopping AMR altogether might be an impossible feat (especially when 80% of global antibiotic usage is actually focused on the farming and animal husbandry sectors rather than in healthcare), there are still steps that we can take to slow it down and save lives if we would play our roles in taking better responsibility and care over our usage of antibiotics from now on.

So yes, once again:

1. Make sure to finish your antibiotics whenever you are prescribed them by your doctor.
2. Do not start taking antibiotics unless you are sure you need them.
3. Always return for either a second round of antibiotics or get help from your doctor if you do not fully recover after completing your antibiotics.
4. Return expired and unused antibiotics and other medications to your hospital or pharmacist for proper disposal.

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For Further Reading:

• https://youtu.be/fyRyZ1zKtyA
• https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/drug-resistant-superbug-candida-auris-thriving-hospitals-coronavirus-era