By Kevin Muriuki, Pharmacy Technologist, Penda Medical Centre – Sunton

“Health is like money. We never know its true value until we lose it.”

Covid-19 is a pandemic that has destabilized almost every sector in the world. Social and economic activities have been affected, jobs lost, nations put under crisis.

With that mentioned, there could even be another imminent pandemic to worry about: antimicrobial resistance. 

Antimicrobial resistance is the ability of microbes to resist effects of a drug or medication. These microbes could be bacteria, viruses, parasites, or even fungi (Kenya National Policy on Prevention and Containment of Antimicrobia Resistance 2017). 

So how does antimicrobial resistance happen?

Antimicrobial medications (antibiotics, antivirals, antiparasitics, antifungals) can often be really effective in treating harmful conditions. But recently, these medications have been misused and overused – patients do not finish their course of medication, or these drugs are prescribed to manage infections that don’t actually indicate antimicrobial usage. In addition, more and more of these drugs are used in livestock farming.

According to the World Health Organization Africa,

“Antimicrobial resistance occurs when microorganisms, such as bacteria, fungi and parasites, change when they are exposed to an antimicrobial drug. As a result, the medicines become ineffective and infections persist in the body, increasing the risk of spread to others.”

The World Health Organization has noted that some conditions – like pneumonia, urinary tract infections, tuberculosis, malaria, HIV – are becoming harder and harder to treat, as the antimicrobials used to manage them have become less effective in recent years.

What can you do about it?

Here are some steps you can take to lower your risk of developing antimicrobial resistance:

1. For patients, don’t self-medicate with antibiotics/antimicrobials if you’re feeling ill. Consult a trained health professional first before taking any medication.

2. For healthcare workers, it’s important to ensure that the right drug is issued to the right patient, for the right disease, at the right dosage, at the right time, and for the right period of days.

3. If a health professional prescribes a medication for you, please take it as instructed – don’t save the rest for later just because you start to feel better.

At Penda, we follow very strict guidelines on when to prescribe the right kind of medication. You can trust that you’ll be in safe hands when you visit a Penda Medical Centre.

Pigia Penda on 020 7909045 to get a free consultation and find out if you’re taking the right medication for your illness.