Indiscriminate use of antibiotics in Brazil leads pharmacists to issue a warning | National Newspaper

Indiscriminate use of antibiotics in Brazil leads pharmacists to issue a warning

O indiscriminate use of antibiotics in Brazil led pharmacists to issue an alert.

The Federal Pharmacy Council found what it calls a “silent epidemic”: the increase in the sale of antimicrobials, medicines used to kill living organisms, such as viruses, bacteria, fungi, parasites. The main one is bactericide, used to combat bacteria, a type of antibiotic.

Data from the CFF, in partnership with an international consultancy, shows that in 2019 there was a record of sales of approximately 170 million units of antimicrobials, and this is growing, with a jump in 2022, reaching 228 million units. In 2023, there was a small reduction, but still well above that recorded in previous years.

This increase coincides with the Covid pandemic. The Pharmacy Council states that the increase in self-medication during this period has caused serious long-term effects.

“We need to be very concerned about proper use, instructing society to always try to use antibiotics in accordance with medical prescription. Incorrect, incomplete use, outside the time established in the medical prescription, it only helps and only contributes to the bacteria, in a very resistant form, starting to multiply more and more”, says Walter Jorge João, president of the Federal Council of Pharmacy.

The indiscriminate use of antibiotics has raised alarm throughout the world. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), hospitalized patients in 87 countries showed high rates of resistance to treatment in bacteria that cause infections in the bloodstream.

According to experts, every time we use antibiotics on our own or inappropriately – that is, in the wrong dose or for more or less time than it should be -, Instead of fighting the bacteria, they become increasingly resistant.

“It is the growth of multi-resistant bacteria, popularly known as superbugs. Every time you take an antibiotic, the antibiotic doesn’t know that it’s supposed to kill that specific bacteria. It will act on the bacteria in your entire body and the bacteria in your body will get used to it. The good ones, in fact, die and only those who already have a certain resistance remain. And then, when you really need to use these antibiotics, all that’s left are those bacteria that no longer care about the antibiotic you took”, explains infectious disease specialist Alexandre Cunha.