Antibiotics good for health or bad -

Antibiotic losing its effectiveness or typhoid resistant

The antibiotics used to cure typhoid has been losing its effectiveness gradually, some of which became ineffective already. International diarrhea Research Center (ICDDRB) discovered it in its research. Expert’s say- since antibiotics are not used on a proper dose and degrees it became abused for that reason typhoid gained its strengths against it. As typhoid becoming stronger than antibiotic the cost of treatment has been increasing ten-fold.  In a research findings in Dhaka it is found that (Sample population average aged 32 year 9 months) 51% typhoid patients three types of antibiotic lost its complete effectiveness- namely- Betalactom, Chloramphenicol, Kotrimoxasol and Nalidixic acid. Moreover, Cyprofloxacin is not working on 4% patients, and 88% of the users have limited or below average results.

In this world every year 20,00,000 people fell ill of typhoid of which 85-90% live in this South-east Asia, and of them 200,000 die. But interestingly no one is able to say how many typhoid patients are in Bangladesh each year. Historically adults and school going minors were typhoid patients, but now-a-days that is changed; children aged one year or less are also found to be victims too. The reasons are unhygienic food, bad toilet and sanitation, non-wash up habits, bad living condition, and dirty water. 

Doctors say, if typhoid is not diagnosed timely, the patients seem contracted to more new complications like- intestinal hemorrhage, ulcer etc.  The study shows due to multi-drug resistant typhoid death rate has been increased by 4.2% in Bangladesh. Alarmingly the latest trend is child typhoid patients are increasing. Although there are anti-typhoid vaccines for adults are available, for children nothing such is available yet.

To be aware of the situations physicians are advising to use antibiotic correctly in a measured and controlled way. Moreover, antibiotics should be banned from selling as over the counter drug (OTC) to control the aggravated situation. Sefixtri-exon type injections and orally taken Sefixcom type of drugs are the only medicines now doctors are using to cure typhoid, as no other alternatives are available.

Previously the cost for treating typhoid per patient was Tk. 300-500/- (Tk.75=US$1), now the same cost rose up to Tk. 3000-5000/-. Cynics say just one zero is the difference, why worry! Another finding is normally patients do not continue their full courses and quantity as per prescription. They quit taking drugs as soon as they feel well, so the half attacked germs revive and attack with double force. Then the same antibiotic cannot work against it successfully. Secondly, the ingredients most of the drugs have actually not true, so, the proper medicine does not work to cure properly.