The authors of the new study urge the use of drugs consciously, since the uncontrolled use of antibacterial drugs leads to the emergence of drug-resistant diseases. The results are published in the Lancet Planetary Health.
Extensive analysis of data from more than 280,000 children around the world showed that antibiotic consumption remained stable in high-income countries, at least until the pandemic. However, in North Africa, the Middle East and South Asia, antibiotic use has more than doubled. The popularity of certain drugs, such as third-generation cephalosporins, has grown 37-fold.
At the same time, sub-Saharan Africa has some of the lowest levels of antibiotic consumption in the world. The authors of the study note that it is in this region that sepsis is most common. Also of concern is the misuse of antibacterial drugs in South and Southeast Asia, where there are many unlicensed drug suppliers and self-medication is common.
The uncontrolled use of antibiotics has already led to the fact that bacteria have formed almost 100% resistance to certain drugs. This is the case with ciprofloxacin, a common drug for urinary tract infections, according to the World Health Organization.
WHO warns that due to the inappropriate use of antibiotics during the COVID-19 pandemic, the situation of bacterial resistance to drug treatment may worsen. Coronavirus patients are often prescribed antibiotics “just in case”. However, scientists have found that covid infections rarely develop, and antibiotics are needed only for seriously ill patients in intensive care units.