Improper Prescription and Misuse of Antibiotics Recorded Amid COVID-19, Health Ministry Reports

The Ministry of Health has released a statement addressing the misuse of antibiotics during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“COVID-19 is a contagious disease caused by a novel coronavirus. It has become a challenge of our times, impacting various aspects of life on both individual and societal levels. Its effects on the global economy as well as on psychological health are significant.

In the field of public health, antibiotic resistance (AR) must be noted as a negative consequence of COVID-19. Antibiotics are medications used to treat bacterial infections (such as ear infections, urinary tract infections, diarrhea, pneumonia) and do not affect viral infections (including cough, bronchitis, influenza, or the common cold).

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), antibiotics are not effective for treating COVID-19, as this disease is caused by a virus. They may only be prescribed to patients with severe symptoms to prevent bacterial pneumonia or to treat pneumonia that has already developed.

Research has shown that antibiotics have also been used to treat mild symptoms, even in cases with a low risk of developing pneumonia. Studies indicate that although 72% of hospitalized patients received antibiotics, only 8% of those had a bacterial infection.

Thus, a trend of improper prescription and misuse of antibiotics has been recorded amid the COVID-19 pandemic, which poses a risk for the development of resistance to antimicrobial drugs and may lead to a lack of access to these drugs for patients who genuinely need them.

The emergence, spread, and persistence of drug-resistant forms of diseases are facilitated by the unjustified and irrational use of antimicrobial agents, the poor quality of antibiotics, self-medication, inappropriate and incorrect dosages, or interruptions in treatment.”