New Delhi: The Indian Medical Association (IMA) issued a notice advising medical practitioners to avoid prescription of antibiotics to the increasing number of patients with seasonal fever, cough and cold.
Taking note of the sudden uptick in the number of patients with cough, nausea, vomiting, sore throat, fever, body ache and diarrhoea, IMA said the infection in most cases is caused by the H3N2 influenza virus and it usually lasts for five to seven days.
The notice said “It is common to have seasonal cold or cough during October to February period, because of influenza and other viruses. Mostly it occurs in people above the age of 50 and below 15 years. People develop upper respiratory infections along with fever, Air pollution is one of the precipitating factors.”
“Give only symptomatic treatment, no need to give antibiotics. But right now, people start taking antibiotics like Azythromycin and Amoxyclav, etc, that too without caring for dose and frequency and stop it once start feeling better. This needs to be stopped as it leads to antibiotic resistance. Whenever there will be a real use of antibiotics, they will not work due to resistance,” the notice further read.
The IMA further said several other antibiotics are being misused for other conditions and patients are becoming resistant to them. In 70 per cent of diarrhoea cases, doctors prescribe antibiotics, even when they are not needed.
IMA further named some of the widely misused antibiotics such as amoxicillin, norfloxacin, ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin, and levofloxacin, in diarrhoea and UTI.
“It is necessary to diagnose whether the infection is bacterial or not before prescribing antibiotics. Self-control and regulation need to be practiced by all stakeholders,” the IMA notice added.
The medical association further advised people to practise good hand and respiratory hygiene, avoid crowded places and take vaccination for prevention of infection.