Spread of Antimicrobial-Resistant Bacteria: Inappropriate Use of Antibacterial Drugs Must Be Stopped

Editorial

14:59 JST, February 23, 2025

Antimicrobial-resistant bacteria that are insusceptible to medicine are spreading all over the world. This is a serious problem that can be life-threatening for elderly and sick people with a weakened immune system, as well as for infants. It is essential to strengthen countermeasures.

The spread of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria is caused mainly by the inappropriate use of antibacterial drugs, such as overprescription.

Antibacterial drugs, commonly referred to as “antibiotics,” are essential for suppressing bacterial growth. However, if they are used thoughtlessly, bacteria in the body will acquire resistance to the drug, making it easier for drug-resistant bacteria to emerge.

Such antimicrobial-resistant bacteria have a resistance that allows them to survive even when exposed to antibacterial drugs. It is known that various bacteria, such as E. coli and staphylococcus aureus, can change and become antimicrobial resistant.

If a person develops an illness due to an increase in antimicrobial-resistant bacteria in their body, they cannot be cured with medication, so the risk of the illness becoming serious or even resulting in death increases. In Japan, cases have been seen in which infections of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria spread among patients in hospitals when the antibacterial drugs did not work, and the problem has become serious.

According to the World Health Organization, the number of deaths worldwide that are believed to be caused by antimicrobial-resistant bacteria is estimated to be over 1 million per year. The situation is called a “silent pandemic” because such bacteria spreads before being noticed.

In its action plan to reduce antimicrobial-resistant bacteria, the government has set a target of reducing the amount of antibacterial drugs used by 15% by 2027 compared to 2020. However, as of 2023, the amount had increased by nearly 20%, rather than decreasing. The goal must not be allowed to end up as a failed plan.

The reason that antibacterial drugs are not being used appropriately is that many people mistakenly believe that they are effective against colds. Bacteria and viruses are completely different. Most colds are caused by viruses, so taking antibacterial drugs will not have any effect.

According to a survey on public awareness conducted by a government agency last year, 40% of people believed that antibacterial drugs were effective against colds, which is 1.5 times higher than the percentage of people who knew that they were ineffective.

Doctors inappropriately prescribing medicine is also a problem. The same survey showed that 40% of people had been prescribed antibacterial drugs for cold symptoms such as a fever and sore throat in the past year.

There may also be some cases in which inappropriate prescription is due to a lack of up-to-date information.

Medical organizations should expand opportunities for training doctors to ensure that medicine is appropriately prescribed.

There are also arguments that quite a few patients ask for prescriptions of antibacterial drugs from doctors without having a solid knowledge of the medicines. The government and medical institutions have an important role to widely inform the public about the correct use of antibacterial drugs.

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Feb. 23, 2025)