Do you know that antibiotics play a major role in treating common childhood diseases like pneumonia, ear infections, and strep throat? These treatments have reduced illness and prevented dangerous complications. However, antibiotic resistance is increasingly posing a danger to their efficacy. This happens when germs change over time and learn to resist the medications meant to destroy them.

This process has been expedited by the abuse and misuse of antibiotics, such as taking them for viral diseases like the flu or not finishing prescribed dosages. As a result, many medications have lost their effectiveness, making it more difficult to treat these formerly treatable illnesses. This leads to longer illnesses, higher medical expenses, and a higher chance of complications.

The misuse of antibiotics, such as taking them for viral diseases or not finishing prescribed dosages, has accelerated this process (Image Credit: Canva)

Antibiotic-resistant diseases can also spread, endangering public health. It is crucial to use antibiotics properly, create new drugs, and inform the public and healthcare professionals on how to use antibiotics appropriately to address this problem. In a concersation with Jagran English Dr. D. Srikanth, a senior consultant pediatrician and neonatologist at Yashoda Hospitals in Hyderabad, discussed about the importance of antibiotics for common childhood infections and the growing issue of antibiotic resistance.

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According to Dr. D. Srikanth, antimicrobials are medicines used to prevent and treat infectious diseases in humans, including antibiotics, antifungals, and anti-parasite medications. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) occurs when bacteria, fungi, viruses, and parasites no longer respond to antimicrobial medicines, rendering them ineffective. This makes infections difficult to treat, increasing the risk of disease spread, severe illness, disability, and death.

AMR is a natural process that happens over time through genetic changes in pathogens; however, the misuse and overuse of antimicrobials have hastened the emergence of resistance. AMR is a global concern, especially in the pediatric age group. Children have underdeveloped immune systems, making them more susceptible to infections, which warrants the use of antibiotics. Additionally, children in their growth period have widely varying pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, making it difficult to determine age-based and weight-based dosing, contributing to treatment failure and antimicrobial resistance.

To prevent antibiotic-resistant diseases from spreading, proper use of antibiotics, the development of new drugs, and education on proper antibiotic usage are essential. Image Credit: Canva)

Dr. D. Srikanth also emphasized that knowledge of pathogens associated with different infections is critical as it highly influences drug choice, correct doses, and the duration of a treatment course. Antibiotics are still commonly prescribed for incorrect diagnoses, such as viral infections, especially in outpatient care. Some antibiotics have precise contraindications when it comes to pediatric use, affecting the range of antimicrobial options to treat infections. For instance, fluoroquinolones are largely not used in children due to safety concerns. A lack of understanding regarding the resistance mechanisms of common pediatric pathogens and a lack of pediatric-specific data have contributed to the misuse and overuse of antibiotics, making resistance to antibiotics in pediatric infections a growing threat to public health.

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Antibiotics are a double-edged sword. When used, caution must be taken to prevent both overuse and underuse. The creation of an institutionalized team of experts, including infectious disease specialists, clinical pharmacologists, microbiologists, and pediatricians, working together to draw up local guidelines, conduct regular audits and reviews of local antimicrobial prescriptions, and provide advice on antimicrobial use is key to addressing the issue.

Lastly, Dr. D. Srikanth stated that determining the best antimicrobial dose based on personalized pharmacokinetic parameters is essential to achieving the right concentrations and avoiding AMR emergence and spread. This is particularly true in a pediatric context, where intervention timing is essential, and pharmacokinetic variability should be carefully considered.