SUPERBUGS – ARE THERE SIMPLE WAYS TO TREAT AND ELIMINATE? by Dr.T.V.Rao MD

SUPERBUGS – ARE THERE SIMPLE WAYS TO TREAT AND ELIMINATE? by Dr.T.V.Rao MD

The last true revolution in infection control occurred in 1867 when British surgeon Joseph Lister began using carbolic acid as an antiseptic, significantly reducing mortality rates from infection by 30 percent within a decade. There is now a genuine threat of humanity returning to an era where mortality due to common infections is rife. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), by 2050 there will be more deaths related to superbugs than cancer and they will be the leading cause of death on the planet. And, when this study was published, the institution had not taken into account the acceleration that the excessive and incorrect consumption of antibiotics caused by the covid pandemic would cause.Superbugs are strains of bacteria that have become resistant to known antibiotics, often including the most modern ones. Bacteria, like any other organism, try to survive in the face of external stresses and have the added advantage that they have a high facility to mutate as well as to reproduce; under the right conditions, hundreds of millions can appear in a few hours. This allows their DNA mutations to be relatively rapid and, if these modifications prove useful and survive, this mutation can be further refined. Now many are aware that our Antibiotic pipe line has become narrow and little is flowing out, as few firms are interested to develop new Antibiotics as they lose efficacy due to irrational use of Antibiotics. One patient out of every 20 admitted to hospital contracts a nosocomial infection, (an infection the patient did not have when they entered the facility), and with 1.8 million people per year acquiring an infection during their hospital stays (USA). More than 99,000 Americans die annually — that’s 270 deaths every day. The elderly and immunocompromised patients are particularly at risk. If this was the incidence imagine how many are dying in a country like India, it is not death of a person many resistant strains are spread in the Hospital environment keeping very one guessing who will be infected and die with the consequences. While the threats have grown more sophisticated, the methods of controlling and preventing these life-threatening infections have not.

Current HAI prevention practices include: ? Isolating infected patients.

? Requiring staff to wash their hands after each patient examination.

? Wearing protective gowns, masks, gloves and other equipment.

? Cleaning rooms with harsh chemicals such as hydrogen peroxide.

There is now a genuine threat of humanity returning to an era where mortality due to common infections is rife,"

While microbes typically developed resistance to drugs in hospitals and healthcare facilities, a concerning trend was the increased number of people acquiring antibiotic-resistant infections in their communities. Many organisms, known as superbugs, were now resistant to multiple drugs. Drug-resistant microbes also entered the country with travelers, and no single country can be blamed for the events as it is a Global concern need health care efforts to reduce the incidence

The most common life threating infection types are respiratory tract infections such as pneumonia and infections of the bloodstream. These are often caused by Klebsiella pneumoniae and E. coli bacteria, both of which have shown an ability to develop resistance to some of the most powerful antibiotics. Among many reported healthcare-associated infections, surgical site infections and urinary tract infections are also common. Many of the infections are also found to be drug-resistant microbes or popularly called "superbugs", as per our observations, Many facts will be enlightened when we analyse the patients who are staying in the hospitals for various reasons for more than 2 weeks, and on Antibiotics, as they are important group of patients who are likely to be put on several antibiotics, and most likely harbour the drug resistant bacteria, which need more evaluations and health care awareness to reduce to spread to other patients, This will be a a primary step in the prevention of local spread of Multi drug and Pan resistant strains in our Hospital . This may lead also a path to know it is mere Antibiotics alone contribute to morbidity and mortality and we wish to increase the frequency of Hand washing in these areas, as simple measures have great impact on human safety. NEVER FORGET SUPERBUGS ARE MAN MADE SO THE SOLUTIONS ARE IN OUR REACH. In the developing countries the real threat lies with careless and unwarranted used of Antibiotics, just think before prescribing an Antibiotic?

Resources -Open source knowledge bases on Emerging challenges in Infectious diseases WHO Dr.T.V.Rao. MD