Antibiotic resistance making it difficult to treat diseases

Antibiotic resistance making it difficult to treat diseases

Bacteria causing infections such as gonorrhea are becoming particularly resistant

New Delhi, 27 October 2017: As per recent reports, antibiotic resistance is making gonorrhea ‘much harder and sometimes impossible’ to treat. The report cites data from around 77 countries, one of which is India. About 11.4 million in the southeast Asian Region, including India, are infected with the disease every year. The bacteria that cause gonorrhea are becoming particularly resistant. Every time, a new class of antibiotics is used to treat the infection, the bacteria evolve to resist them.

Gonorrhoea is a sexually transmitted infection also known as the ‘clap’ or ‘drip’. It is caused by the bacterium Neisseria gonorrhoeae, which grows and multiplies easily in the mucous membranes of the body. It can grow in the warm, moist areas of the reproductive tract as also in the mouth, throat, and anus.

Speaking about this, Padma Shri Awardee Dr K K Aggarwal, National President Indian Medical Association (IMA) and President Heart Care Foundation of India (HCFI) and Dr RN Tandon – Honorary Secretary General IMA in a joint statement, said, “Antibiotic resistance is a growing concern and its impact on patients and communities is known to all. This is a public health problem, one which is rapidly spreading across the globe, with not enough resources to control it. Antibiotic resistance has made it harder for us to treat many infections such as typhoid, pneumonia, tuberculosis, and now gonorrhea. Antibiotic resistance prolongs hospitalization, and increases the cost of treatment and the risk of death. Several studies have also corroborated the adverse impact of antibiotic resistance on health. Doctors as well as patients should be aware about and advocate judicious use of antibiotics. Over prescription and self- prescription, both, need to be checked. Taking cognizance of the impact of antibiotic-resistant infections, IMA has proposed several initiatives to tackle this public health threat – “Jaroorat Bhi Hai Kya”, “3A Avoid Antibiotic Abuse campaign”, “Use Wisely not Widely”, “Think Before you Ink”.

The treatment recommendations for gonorrhea have changed substantially during the last few years. Due to a high rate of antimicrobial resistance, fluoroquinolones are no longer recommended to treat gonorrhea.

Adding further, Dr Aggarwal, said, “Improving and adhering to diagnostic tests for various diseases will help curb the inappropriate use of antibiotics, which compromises measures to control antimicrobial resistance. The imminent need of the hour is to address this issue. A coordinated intervention designed to improve and measure the appropriate use of antimicrobials by promoting the selection of the most appropriate antimicrobial drug regimen, dose, duration of therapy, and route of administration.”

The following tips can help in preventing gonorrhea.

Talk with your partner about sexually transmitted infections before starting a sexual relationship. Assess your risks and remember that it is quite possible to be infected with an STI without knowing it.
Avoid sexual contact with anyone who has symptoms of an STI or who may have been exposed to an STI.
Avoid having multiple partners as this can increase your chances of contracting such infections.
Use adequate protection such as condoms to reduce the chances of infections.
Ensure that you take adequate care of hygiene and cleanliness before and after sexual contact.

Hand washing imperative to prevent infections and diseases

Hand washing imperative to prevent infections and diseases Hand hygiene an important part of infection prevention in hospital settings as well New Delhi, 22 June 2017: According to a recent study, only 53% of the people in India wash hands with soap after defecation. Apart from this, only 38% and 30% wash their hands with soap before eating and preparing food, respectively. Washing hands after a visit to the washroom or before eating is a no-brainer. However, it is also an activity often ignored. Many people even do it wrong without understanding the health risks that contaminated hands can invite. Diarrhoea and respiratory infections are the number one causes for child mortality in India. Research suggests that hand washing with soap can reduce the incidence of diarrhoeal diseases by about 40% and respiratory infections by 30%. Poor hand hygiene is responsible for a plethora of infections and diseases. Speaking about this, Padma Shri Awardee Dr K K Aggarwal, National President Indian Medical Association (IMA) and President Heart Care Foundation of India (HCFI) and Dr RN Tandon – Honorary Secretary General IMA in a joint statement, said "Poor hand hygiene can cause many other problems as we tend to touch other body parts too with the unclean hands. From common cold to an eye sty, one never knows what damage unclean hands can do to health. Contaminated hands can trigger feco-oral diseases like cholera and typhoid. This is more so during the rainy season when sanitation is poor and there are flies abound. Unclean hands can also lead to gastroenteritis, worm infestations, and jaundice. Hand washing with soap, inside out for about 10 to 15 seconds can guard you against various viral and bacterial diseases."
Unwashed hands are also a significant factor behind the high incidence of hospital-acquired infections. The IMA 5 Moments for Hand Hygiene approach define the key moments when health-care workers should perform hand hygiene. This evidence-based, field-tested, user-centered approach is designed to be easy to learn, logical and applicable in a wide range of settings. This approach recommends health-care workers to clean their hands before touching a patient, before clean/aseptic procedures, after body fluid exposure/risk, after touching a patient, and after touching patient surroundings. Adding further, Dr Aggarwal, said, "Hand hygiene is an important aspect of infection prevention and control programmes in hospital settings. It not only prevents patient infection but also reduces an avoidable burden on health systems. All medical practitioners should ensure proper hand hygiene while attending to their patients. Even the nurses, attendants, and other staff working with them should wash their hand before dealing with the patients. This simple activity can help prevent over 50% hospital acquired infections.”
How should you wash your hands? • Wet your hands with clean, running water (warm or cold), turn off the tap, and apply soap. • Lather your hands by rubbing them together with the soap. Be sure to lather the backs of your hands, between your fingers, and under your nails. • Scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds. • Rinse your hands well under clean, running water. • Dry your hands using a clean towel or air-dry them.

Updated CDC guidelines to prevent surgical site infections

Updated CDC guidelines to prevent surgical site infections Surgical site infections (SSIs) are preventable healthcare-associated infections, also called nosocomial infections. They rank among the top five healthcare-associated infections, besides ventilator-associated pneumonia, central line–associated bloodstream infections, Clostridium difficile infections and catheter–associated urinary tract infections. SSIs not only increase costs of health care, but also the associated morbidity and mortality for the patient. Preventing SSIs is therefore important. For the first time since 1999, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued updated evidence-based recommendations for preventing surgical site infections (SSIs),. These recommendations are published online May 3, 2017 in JAMA Surgery. Some key new and updated recommendations include: • Patients should be advised to shower or bathe (full body) with soap (antimicrobial or nonantimicrobial) or an antiseptic agent on at least the night before the day of the surgery. • Antimicrobial prophylaxis should be administered only when indicated. The timing of the antimicrobial should ensure a bactericidal concentration in the serum and tissues at the time of the incision. • Administer antimicrobial prophylaxis in cesarean section just before skin incision. • Use an alcohol-based agent for skin preparation in the operating room, unless contraindicated. • For clean and clean-contaminated procedures, additional prophylactic antimicrobial agent doses is not recommended after closing the surgical incision should not be administered in the OR after the surgical incision is closed, even if a drain has been put. • Do not apply topical antimicrobial agents to the surgical incision. • Target a blood glucose level less than 200 mg/dL during surgery. • Maintain normothermia in all patients. • A higher fraction of inspired oxygen during surgery and after extubation in the immediate postoperative period should be administered in patients with normal pulmonary function undergoing general anesthesia with endotracheal intubation. • Do not withhold transfusion of blood products sin order to prevent SSI. (Source: JAMA Surgery) Dr KK Aggarwal National President IMA & HCFI