Srinagar: Civil Society Forum Kashmir (CSFK) on Monday expressed concern over “excessive” use of antibiotics in the Jammu and Kashmir and urged Health Minister to take immediate and adequate steps.
“Antibiotic resistance is rising to dangerously high levels in Jammu& Kashmir State. New resistance mechanisms are emerging and spreading globally, threatening our ability to treat common infectious diseases. A growing list of infections – such as pneumonia, tuberculosis, blood poisoning and gonorrhoea – are becoming harder, and sometimes impossible, to treat as antibiotics become less effective,” CSFK said in a stamen issued here.
In almost every nook and corner of the state, it said, antibiotics can be bought for human or animal use without a prescription, which makes the emergence and spread of resistance only worse.
Similarly, it said, in absence of standard treatment guidelines, antibiotics are often over-prescribed by health workers and veterinarians and over-used by the public.
“Without urgent action, we are heading for a post-antibiotic era, in which common infections and minor injuries can once again kill. Therefore there is need to frame Hospital Antibiotic Policy for every tertiary care hospital of our state, prepare standard treatment guidelines for various microbial infections and to constitute infection control committees in all hospitals who may function in accordance with discrete infection control procedures that includes both prevention and control measures. Following steps are immediately necessitated in our state to curb the emergence of antimicrobial resistance in future,” the CSFK said.
Regarding prevention and control, the CSFK said that even if new medicines were developed, “antibiotic resistance will remain a major threat without behaviour change.”
“Behaviour changes must also include actions to reduce the spread of infections through vaccination, hand washing, practising safer sex, and good food hygiene. Antibiotic resistance is accelerated by the misuse and overuse of antibiotics, as well as poor infection prevention and control. Steps can be taken at all levels of society to reduce the impact and limit the spread of resistance.”
To prevent and control the spread of antibiotic resistance, CSFK said that individuals can only use antibiotics when prescribed by a certified health professional’ one should never demand antibiotics if health worker says there was no need; one should always follow health worker’s advice when using antibiotics and never share or use leftover antibiotics.
The CSFK asked the policy makers to ensure a robust action plan to tackle antibiotic resistance, improve surveillance of antibiotic-resistant infections, strengthen policies, programmes, and implementation of infection prevention and control measures and regulate and promote the appropriate use and disposal of quality medicines.
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