Transcript not - NHS East and North Hertfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group

European Antibiotic Awareness Day
2014
Dr Berit Muller-Pebody
HCAI & AMR Department, Centre for Infectious Disease Surveillance and Control
What are antibiotics?
• Medicines that can kill or inhibit the growth of bacteria to cure
infections in people, animals and sometimes plants
• Medicines for bacterial infections and are not effective against
viruses
• There are more than 15 different classes of antibiotics that
differ in their chemical structure and their action against
bacteria
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Viruses versus bacteria
As different as giraffes and goldfish….
BUT
Sometimes difficult to determine whether bacteria or viruses are
causing an illness
Some illnesses — such as pneumonia, meningitis or diarrhoea —
can be caused by either viruses or bacteria
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Bacteria
• Single-celled microorganisms that thrive in many different
types of environments
• Some bacteria live in people's intestines and help digest food
• Most bacteria cause no harm to people, but there are
exceptions.
• Infections caused by bacteria include:
o Throat infections
o Urinary tract infections
o Tuberculosis
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Viruses
• Viruses are even smaller than bacteria and require living hosts
— otherwise, they can't survive
• When a virus enters a human, animal or plant, it invades some
of the cells and takes over the cell machinery, redirecting it to
produce the virus
• Infections caused by viruses include:
o Flu
o Common cold
o Chickenpox
o Measles
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What is antibiotic resistance?
• Some bacteria are naturally resistant to certain antibiotics
(intrinsic resistance)
• Some bacteria become resistant as a result of genetic
changes (acquired resistance)
• Resistant bacteria survive antibiotic treatment and continue to
multiply causing longer illness or even death
• Infections caused by resistant bacteria may require longer
care and more expensive antibiotics
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What is the most important cause of
antibiotic resistance?
• Antibiotic resistance is a natural occurrence caused by
mutations in genes in bacteria causing infections
• When exposed to antibiotics, susceptible bacteria are killed
and resistant bacteria can continue to grow and multiply
• These resistant bacteria may spread and cause infections in
other people who have not taken any antibiotics
• Inappropriate use of antibiotics accelerates the emergence of
antibiotic-resistant bacteria
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What is ‘inappropriate’ use of antibiotics?
Using antibiotics when they are not needed
• Infection is caused by a virus and not a bacteria (e.g. cold and
flu)
• Antibiotics are not painkillers - use other medicines such as
calpol, lemsip…
• Storing antibiotics for future use – antibiotics should always
be prescribed by a doctor who has examined you
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Not using antibiotics properly
• Stopping treatment early
• Missing doses
you won’t have enough drug in your body and the
bacteria will survive and may become resistant
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Why is antibiotic resistance a problem?
• Antibiotics commonly used are no longer effective
• May delay the right antibiotic treatment
• May result in complications, including death
• Patient may need longer care and more expensive antibiotics
• Emergence of new bacterial strains resistant to several
antibiotics at the same time (known as multidrug-resistant
bacteria)
→ may eventually become resistant to all existing antibiotics
• Very few new antibiotics in the pipeline
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Is it really that serious?
In the future, without effective antibiotics, we could return to the
“pre-antibiotic era”
organ transplants
cancer chemotherapy
intensive care
Bacterial diseases would spread and could no longer be treated
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What can be done to solve the problem?
Remember: Keeping antibiotics effective is
everyone’s responsibility!
•
Antibiotics won’t work in cases of cold or
flu, so don’t ask your doctor for antibiotics
• Take antibiotics responsibly
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Public Engagement
18 November:
European Antibiotic
Awareness Day
E-Bug for school
children
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Raising awareness
East and North Hertfordshire CCG
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Become an antibiotic guardian today
http://antibioticguardian.com/