Mounting Health Crisis: Antibiotic Overuse Spurs Rise in Drug-Resistant Bacteria

A pharmacy technician counts out a prescription of antibiotic pills in Miami, Florida, on Aug. 7, 2007. Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Australia’s misuse of antibiotics is fueling the growth of drug-resistant bacteria, posing a growing challenge in treating severe infections, according to a new report from Australia’s Commission on Safety and Quality in Healthcare.

Senior medical advisor Professor John Turnidge warned: “Antimicrobial-resistant germs pose an alarming health risk because in more serious cases when the drugs don’t work, there may be no antibiotic options left for some patients.”

“In the future, we may not be able to perform medical procedures such as organ transplants, cancer chemotherapy, diabetes management, and major surgery. That is a bleak future that none of us wish to contemplate.”

He emphasised the need for people to consider personal risks, such as the impact of antibiotics affect the gut and the potential for chronic illnesses.

Australia ranks among the highest in the developed world for antibiotic use, with 21 million prescriptions (1 in 3 people) handed out in 2022.

However, they are often misused to treat common infections where they will have little to no benefit.

“Let’s all think twice before automatically prescribing and using antibiotics—or having them ‘just in case,” Mr. Turnidge said.

“Everyone has a role to play in this—doctors and other healthcare workers, as well as patients.”

He said communities and aged care homes can ensure guidelines are followed when prescribing for urinary tract infections, skin infections, chronic diseases, and other respiratory infections. Meanwhile, hospitals should focus on using antibiotics appropriately for surgery while monitoring resistance.

Zero Effectiveness Against Cold or Flu, Cautions Expert

Senior Medical Advisor Peter Collignon also cautions against antibiotic overuse, highlighting that “About 5 percent of people may experience vomiting, diarrhoea, or dizziness—while there may be zero chance of the antibiotic helping a cold or flu.”

“Ultimately, the benefits must outweigh the side effects. For a serious infection such as meningitis, pneumonia, or sepsis, you will need antibiotics to stay alive, and your doctor will help you navigate this. Yet for many people dealing with non-serious illnesses like the cold or flu, this is not the case.

“The more you can do to prevent infections and avoid spreading them, the better off you, your friends and family will be—and you'll use fewer antibiotics because you won’t need them.”

A pharmacist counted out the correct number of antibiotic pills to fill a prescription in Miami, Fla., on Aug. 7, 2007. Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Greater Antibiotic Resistance Challenge for Pediatric Use

Dr. Phoebe Williams from the University of Sydney School of Public Health was more concerned for children, noting a global increase in drug-resistant bacterial infections among kids.

She emphasised that new antibiotics are less likely to be trialled and made available to children, and that the burden of antibiotic resistance is “on our doorstep” for sick kids.

“Antibiotic clinical focus on adults and too often children and newborns are left out. That means we have very limited options and data for new treatments,” she said.

She is currently researching an old antibiotic called fosfomycin as a temporary lifeline for treating multidrug-resistant urinary tract infections in children.

A worker at the Dexxon pharmaceutical plant holds up a package of their Doxylin antibiotics drug in the Israeli town of Or Akiva on Nov. 8, 2001. Doxylin is the trade name for Doxycycline Hydrochloride, one of the three antibiotics effective in combating anthrax infections. David Silverman/Getty Images

Australia Witnesses Overall Decline in Antibiotic Use

Despite concerns, the report found an overall drop in Australia’s antibiotic use in recent years, except for a slight 10 percent uptick in 2022.

Since 2019 Australia’s antibiotic use in the community has fallen 18 percent overall; with a significant 25 percent decline in 2020 and 2021.

The decline is attributed to policy changes and COVID-19-related restrictions leading to fewer respiratory tract infections.

Mr. Turnidge said, “COVID-19 had a major impact, as it was the first time the slow downward trend in antimicrobial prescribing was significantly accelerated with the help of GPs, who did not prescribe as many antibiotics.”

“We have an opportunity to build on this achievement to tackle one of the most serious health challenges of our time.”

Can Antibiotics Resistance Be Stopped?

However, antibiotic resistance is a “fact of life” because antibiotics are overused, according to Dr. Theodore Strange, chair of medicine at Staten Island University Hospital.

“We have seen antibiotic resistance in probably almost every antibiotic that has ever been developed and known to man,” he told The Epoch Times earlier this month.

“Every time we use a new one, the bugs are smart enough to know how to get around and cause antibiotic resistance again.”

Antibiotic stewardship is the key to dealing with this issue, according to Dr. Strange.

“We need to treat the appropriate patient with the appropriate antibiotic and not shotgun and treat with more antibiotics than we should be using,” he said. “That’s the root of the problem.”