Many of us feel cheated if we go to see the doctor, only to be told antibiotics won’t help and instead we need some hot lemon tea and bed rest – but your doctor is actually doing you (and society) a big favour.
This week (18-24 November) is World Antimicrobial Awareness Week – and the Rural Doctors Association of Australia (RDAA) is urging rural and remote patients to understand that antibiotics simply don’t work for viral infections, so leaving the doctor’s practice without a script for antibiotics is sometimes actually the best thing for you – and for humankind as a whole!
‘As a society we have come to expect that antibiotics can be used to treat anything and everything, but it’s just not the case,’ RDAA President Elect, Dr Sarah Chalmers, said.
‘Antibiotics are used to treat infections caused by bacteria. They are not only completely ineffective in treating viral illnesses like colds, influenza and COVID, but taking them unnecessarily also increases the resistance of bacteria to antibiotics, both in individual patients and more widely as a society, so when we really DO need antibiotics to treat some pretty serious illnesses, they could be much less effective for us…and may not work at all.
‘This means that if we keep using antibiotics unnecessarily, bacterial infections could become much more difficult or impossible to treat, risking the wider spread of disease, severe illness and death,’ she said.
According to WHO
‘The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that antimicrobial resistance has significant impacts on human and animal health, food production and the environment,’ said Dr Chalmers.
‘Unfortunately, it is already a real problem across the world, including in Australia – so we need to be doing all we can to avoid using antibiotics unnecessarily, and making things worse.
‘With this in mind, your doctor will normally tell you that a viral infection needs to “run its course”, and to leave your body’s immune system to fight it,’ she said. ‘During this time, you can help your immune system by getting plenty of rest, drinking plenty of fluids (particularly water) and taking other over-the-counter medications to help relieve any symptoms (such as paracetamol for a headache or sore throat).
‘In some cases, your doctor might prescribe an anti-viral medication to reduce the length and severity of your illness.
‘Either way, please don’t feel cheated if your doctor tells you that a course of antibiotics won’t help you for your common cold, influenza or other viral illness, and you leave your appointment without a prescription – you will be thanking them in five, ten or fifty years’ time when you or your family members really do need a course of antibiotics… and those antibiotics are still working.’
