Antimicrobial Resistance: How Healthcare Professionals and the General Public can make a Difference |Biomedgrid

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has been reported in all regions throughout the world and it still remains a global threat to public health. This problem is also compounded by the limited antimicrobial drugs (antibiotics or antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, antimalarials and anthelmintics) under development. Among all antimicrobials, antibiotics tend to be the most frequently prescribed drugs in primary healthcare. Antibiotics which have previously been referred as miracle drugs have revolutionized medicine and saved millions of lives from infectious diseases. For decades, antibiotics have played a pivotal role in treating bacterial infections such as pneumonia, meningitis, diarrhea, and tuberculosis. However, resistance to all classes of antibiotic has emerged compromising the ability of these drugs to treat lifethreatening infections [1]. Modern medicine depends on effective antibiotics to treat and prevent infections; without these wonder drugs it would be difficult or too risky to perform surgeries, cancer chemotherapy, or organ transplants [2].