Common practices lead to deadly superbug

MANILA, Philippines - A new threat to our families’ health still has no cure: the deadly antibiotic-resistant bacteria better known as the “superbug.”

Even mankind’s most powerful class of antibiotics, the carbapenems, is ineffective against the superbug that has the potential to cause fatal illnesses. Philippine health authorities have warned that the country is at risk of superbug infection.

Superbugs are already spreading across the world — superbug infections have been reported in India, Pakistan, the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, Japan and other Asian countries like China, Taiwan and Korea. The World Health Organization and the Department of Health are already on the alert.

Superbugs emerge when bacteria that survive improper antibiotic treatment mutate or evolve. These superbugs are able to change their chemical structure in ways that give them the ability to neutralize antibiotics.

There is no cure for superbugs — the best way to fight them is through prevention, which includes changing personal health habits in ways that keep superbugs from emerging and spreading. Just think: do you have habits that contribute to superbug emergence and spread?

Antibiotics misuse: Common and worrisome

The misuse of antibiotics is the primary reason for the emergence of superbugs. Ignorance, wrong beliefs, poverty — these factors play a part in patients’ misuse of antibiotics.

The following practices are, unfortunately, fairly common:

Self-medication. Self-medication is risky for one’s health, especially if one self-medicates with antibiotics. Not all antibiotics are the same — taking the wrong ones is dangerous to health and causes superbugs to develop.

Non-compliance with antibiotic dosage. There are patients who fail to complete the entire recommended antibiotic dosage. This practice worsens health and promotes the development of superbugs.

Unsanitary habits. Personal cleanliness goes a long way in preventing bacterial infection and illness. Hand-washing and other hygiene habits must be maintained.

Antibiotics compliance campaign

Drugstore chain Watsons Pharmacy and pharmaceutical manufacturer Unilab are implementing a joint campaign to teach and promote good compliance with the right antibiotic.

Unilab helps with the campaign by providing commonly prescribed antibiotics for most infections at lower prices — all of which are of guaranteed high quality.

Watsons Pharmacy, on the other hand, contributes to the campaign by providing a staff of competent and knowledgeable pharmacists, and offering antibiotics in compliance packs. Watsons’ pharmacists give consumers advice on how to use anti­biotics properly.

These compliance packs are sold exclusively in Watsons Pharmacy outlets. They are pre-packed in quantities usually prescribed by doctors, making it easier for consumers to complete the full antibiotic dose, thus avoiding bacterial resistance.

The compliance packs are sold at prices that are 40 to 60 percent lower compared to the prices of multinational brands. They also contain educational materials to teach consumers about infections and how to properly treat these infections with antibiotics.