Professor Syedur Rahman, chairman of the pharmacology department at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University in Dhaka, told BBC Bangla that superbugs were found in most of the patients in the ICU.

“Patients who are dying in the ICU are already complex patients with weakened immune systems and may have more problems,” he said. But we also found that 70 to 80 percent of their bodies were found to have antimicrobial resistance superbugs. ”

There may be many more causes for their deaths, but it has been found that 60 to 70 percent of the bacteria that cause death in infected patients are resistant to antibiotics. These invading bacteria are known to be resistant to common antibiotics in some cases, and sometimes resistant to all types of antibiotics. ”

In 2016, a total of 900 patients were admitted to the ICU of Sheikh Mujib Medical University, out of which 400 died. About 70 percent of these patients were found to have antibiotic-resistant bacteria in their bodies.

He said the patients who come to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University have already come here with treatment from various hospitals. As a result, they may be infected with such drug-resistant bacteria from there, or they may be infected here as well.

Professor Rahman said most of these patients came from other hospitals, indicating that there was not enough care in those ICUs.

What is meant by Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR)?

Professor Saidur Rahman said that the bacteria which usually attack the human body, they have some ability to survive from those drugs due to long exposure to those drugs.

This is called antibiotic resistance in the language of medical science.

Why is it so risky?

Bacteria that acquire the ability to resist such drugs can spread that ability to other bacteria. As a result, this ability is created in many bacteria at a very fast rate.

As a result, these germs cannot be controlled with any other antibiotics, that is, antibiotics do not work. As a result, it becomes difficult to cure the patient.

Superbugs or antimicrobial resistance is not the only problem in Bangladesh, there is growing concern about it all over the world. However, experts believe that this problem is growing rapidly in Bangladesh due to its dense population and low surveillance.

In the neighborhood How is this resistance created?

If antibiotics are used in the bodies of animals or in the production of vegetables that we eat meat or vegetables, they create resistance, which affects humans.

Professor Rahman said, “People need fish, poultry, cows for protein and they need antibiotics to save them cheaply. That means the future of human beings is being put at risk for their protein. ”

He also mentioned that it can be spread from hospital to resistant person’s sneezing-coughing, stool-urine.

But in the ICU Why A.What kind of bacterial infection?

Professor Sayedur Rahman has mentioned several reasons for this.

“The patient’s immune system is weakened by the illness, so at other times he can no longer handle the bacteria that he could handle on his own.”

Secondly, the patients who come to our hospital (Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University Hospital) usually come here after receiving treatment in other hospitals. But in those hospitals, the supervision system is relatively weak to prevent the spread of infection. As a result, they become infected with bacteria that have already become drug resistant. ”

Third, infection in the ICU. In this case, the recommendations that are made, in our country, the ICU is not followed that way. As a result, patients can be infected with the bad bacteria after being admitted to the ICU. That’s why the rate is slowly rising. ”

Eight years ago, the rate was 20 to 25 percent, but now it has tripled to at least three times, says a professor at the country’s only medical university.

What is the reason behind this type of infection?

Professor Sayedur Rahman said, “Some research is still going on. When the results are published, it can be said for sure. However, the reasons that are being considered now are that the measures that should be taken in the hospital to prevent the infection are very weak here. ”

“In Bangladesh, by the way, about 10 lakh people are buying over-the-counter antibiotics every day without consulting a doctor.”

A 2015 study in the European Journal of Scientific Research found that one in three patients in Bangladesh took antibiotics without a doctor’s advice.

“Antibiotics are being used in billions of chickens, they are getting into the human body in various ways.”

Scientists at ICDDRB say many children have been found to be resistant to antibiotics, although they may not have taken any medications. It is made in their body through genes.

“This means that even if children do not take antibiotics, these drug-resistant germs in the environment are entering their bodies and the drugs are not working,” said Monirul Alam, a senior scientist at ICDDRB.

So what is the status of conventional antibiotics in the market?

Professor Sayedur Rahman says, “In general, our research is hospital-centric, where relatively complex patients come. Those tests showed that in half of their cases, at least half of the antibiotics they used to treat 10/15 years ago lost their effectiveness. ”

“We understand that if this continues, the bacteria will become dangerously resistant in the future and it will become increasingly difficult to treat humans.”

How can the problem be dealt with?

Sayedur Rahman, a professor at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, said, “First, we need to stop selling antibiotics without a prescription.” The easiest way to do that is to paint such medicine packets red so that everyone understands that it is risky.

Stopping the use of antibiotics needed by humans in livestock, especially poultry. Because if these antibiotics become resistant to the environment, it will create a lot of risk to human life. ”

“Every hospital has to be monitored or teamed by the government so that the necessary measures are taken to prevent infection there.”

Professor Rahman said, these steps must be taken together.

Otherwise, Bangladesh will be in a much more precarious position than other countries. This is because of the small size of the place, the large number of people, which can lead to rapid infection or spread of germs, ”the doctor warned.

SourceSayedul Islam, BBC Bangla, Dhaka