Antibiotic prescription rate high in private sector

News:According to a study by the researchers of Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI), antibiotic prescription rate is high in the private sector.

Facts:

About the study:

• This study is the first ever estimate of outpatient antibiotic prescription rates and patterns in the private sector.
• It has been published with the title — “Outpatient antibiotic prescription rate and pattern in the private sector in India”.

Key takeaways from the study:

• The private sector has clocked high levels of antibiotic prescription rates (412 per 1,000 persons per year).
• Of the 519 million antibiotic prescriptions,the majority were dispensed for the diseases of the respiratory system(55%).
• The highest rate was seen among children aged 0–4 years (636 per 1,000 persons) and the lowest in the age group 10–19 years (280 per 1,000 persons).
• The percentage of prescriptions for wide-spectrum antibiotics like cephalosporins and quinolones was significantly higher than the U.S. and Greece.

Additional information:

About Antibiotic resistance:

• It is the ability of a microorganism like bacteria, fungi, viruses, and parasites to stop an antimicrobial such as antibiotics, antifungals, antivirals and antimalarial from working against it.The term antibiotic resistance specifically covers resistance to antibiotics.
• As a result, the medicines become ineffective and infections persist in the body, increasing the risk of spread to others.
• India is considered to be one of the top users of antibiotics and there is a growing problem of antimicrobial resistance. 
• The per capita antibiotic consumption in the retail sector has increased by around 22% in five years from 2012 to 2016.