In their new report, WHO researchers report that antibiotic-resistant bacteria are growing rapidly and that it is becoming increasingly difficult to control a number of infectious diseases.

Thus, gonorrhea was once easily susceptible to treatment with penicillin and tetracycline. Today, these antibiotics are no longer effective. The situation is compounded by the fact that developing countries cannot afford effective medicines, which contributes to the spread of untreated gonorrhea.

In 2% of the 16 million TB patients, the disease is known to be caused by multidrug-resistant strains. In Estonia, Latvia, as well as in various regions of China and USA, more than 10% of mycobacterium tuberculosis is resistant to at least two anti-tuberculosis drugs.

David Heymann, MD, who deals with the problem of infectious diseases at WHO, notes that immediate action is needed because "we are just starting to lose our antibiotics." According to a 1998 report, the prescription of more than 50% of antibiotics was unjustified. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warns that antibiotics should not be used excessively and recklessly.

Globally, medicine itself puts victory in the hands of these "super microorganisms" due to the irrational use of antibiotics.

Most patients have similar problems. According to recent surveys, half of all patients keep warning about the dangers of the antibiotic rash. Thus, the majority of respondents noted that they had stopped taking drugs, feeling better. The problem is that reducing the duration of antibiotic treatment contributes to the development of resistance to these microorganisms.

According to WHO studies in the United States and Canada, in 50% of cases, the appointment of antibiotics by doctors was not necessary. In developing countries, it is often the opposite. Most patients cannot provide themselves with sufficient antibiotic therapy for successful treatment. Patients take medication in small doses, for a short period of time, and without consulting a doctor.

Another problem is the lack of reliable information. For example, residents of the Philippines are often mistaken in the dosage of drugs to treat tuberculosis.

WHO recalls that the rational use of antibiotics should lead to the resolution of many problems. In addition, WHO strongly recommends increasing subsidies to developing countries for the purchase of antibiotics and the implementation of appropriate programs for the rational use of antibiotics.