Overdosing on Antibiotics

By Natalie Filatoff and Alexandra Clarke

We take an average of 24 defined daily doses (DDD) per 1,000 people, compared with an average of 20 DDD in countries belonging to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and 9 to 12 DDD in countries such as Switzerland, the Netherlands and Denmark.

Our desire—or is that demand?—to be ‘treated’ for viruses such as the common cold (which don’t respond to antibiotics) stems from a number of cultural factors. For one thing, we have a high standard of living, and we expect to live well, not to succumb to snotty noses and phlegm.

For another, our culture’s work ethic frowns upon taking a prolonged sickie: “You’ve been off work for three days? Did you get an antibiotic?” And until recently, within the constraints of the 15-minute medical consultation, our GPs have collectively lacked either the time or the patience to explain why “stay home and rest” is a more effective and suitable prescription for viruses than a course of antibiotics is.

MORE: Do You Always Need Antibiotics?

By using antibiotics to treat practically everything, we’ve given bacteria too many opportunities to meet these medicines and mutate in response. This transformation protects the bugs from the antibiotic, enabling them to survive and multiply.

Thanks to our overuse of antibiotics, Australia has become one of the world’s leading incubators of drug-resistant bacteria. One superbug that has sprung from our shores is ST93 multiresistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)IV, which originated in Queensland. And we now have VRE—a strain of the enterococcus bacterium that is resistant to the previously effective antibiotic vancomycin—circulating in our hospitals as well.

MORE: Antibiotics: Useless By 2030?

Ready to become a resistance fighter? The National Prescription Service (NPS) is encouraging all Australians to join the fight against antibiotic resistance. Unless we do, we're at risk of our current antibiotics becoming useless against a large proportion of bacterial infections by 2030. This April the NPS are launching an education campaign. The goal? To reduce antibiotic usage by 25 per cent over the next five years. Visit www.nps.org.au for more information.