We can all do our bit to safeguard use of precious antibiotics
Antibiotics are one of the greatest discoveries in the history of medicine.
Before widespread use of antibiotics even minor infections could be life threatening and surgery was fraught with danger.
Our bodies have exceptionally good ways of fighting infection, but they can sometimes become overwhelmed and need antibiotics to help.
The discovery of antibiotics is even accompanied by its own remarkable origin story as we hear about Alexander Fleming seeing the accidental effect of penicillin mould preventing the growth of bacteria on a petri dish.
Antibiotics remain an incredibly important part of medicine, but their effectiveness is under threat from over-use and incorrect use. This can lead to the build up of resistance in bacteria.
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In the past this type of change could be dealt with through the development of new types of antibiotics, but there are few new antibiotics any more.
There is a significant risk that more bacteria will become resistant to most or all antibiotics, and we could return to a time when injury and surgery are much more dangerous.
We have probably heard about one resistant bacterium, MRSA, and we could have far more.
Action is needed to ensure that antibiotics remain effective, and this is as important as many of the other challenges facing the world today. It will need global action, but also local action - and we can all play our part.
This is particularly important now as we are likely to get more infections over the winter where we may want antibiotic treatment.
So, what can we do?
Firstly, we need to recognise that antibiotics are generally only effective against bacteria, not viruses or fungal infections.
We should not expect to have a prescription for all infections and many winter ailments will not be helped by antibiotics.
Advice on the best treatment is available from pharmacists, our GP surgery, or online from NHS Inform.
If we do need to have antibiotics to treat an infection, then it is important to follow the instructions on how to take them and to finish the course as prescribed for us.
It is tempting to stop taking antibiotics once we feel better, but then there is a risk that the infection can come back, and the bacteria become harder to treat.
We must never give antibiotics prescribed for us to other people. They may be the wrong antibiotics for someone else’s infection, and we should finish our course ourselves.
If we do have unused antibiotics that need disposal these should be taken to a pharmacist for them to deal with.
Putting antibiotics in waste or flushing them down the toilet will lead to a build-up of the medicines in the environment and even in our food and risks further development of bacterial resistance to treatment.
Our own actions can play a part in safeguarding effective antibiotics for future generations.
Dr Tim Allison is director for public health and policy at NHS Highland.
