Newborns die from antibiotic resistanceImage credit source: RubberBall Productions/Getty Images
Antibiotic resistance is becoming a serious problem around the world. According to one report, there is a possibility of 10 million deaths annually by 2050 due to this, but this problem has already started to show its effects. This is the reason why even today the antibiotics given to children fail to demonstrate their effect against blood infections, which cause the death of young children. Sepsis is a serious medical condition in children. In which a blood infection occurs due to any bacteria, virus or fungus in the blood circulation.
According to a research published in The Nature Journal, this problem is seen in approximately 3 to 4 million children worldwide every year, of which 2 lakh children lose their lives every year. To prevent this disease, treatment is with antibiotics. But the medications administered against this disease are not effective in newborns. The inability of drugs to affect the body is called antibiotic resistance. Medications given against sepsis have no effect. In such a situation, children suffering from this disease are dying.
Causes of neonatal sepsis.
Neonatal sepsis can be caused by different types of bacteria, apart from this many types of fungi and viruses can also be responsible for it. The most common bacteria that cause neonatal sepsis are group B streptococcus (GBS), Escherichia coli (E. coli), and Klebsiella. Most of these bacterial infections are passed from mother to child.
Symptoms of neonatal sepsis.
The symptoms of neonatal sepsis can vary depending on the age of the baby. but in general
– Fever or low body temperature
– lack of appetite
– lethargy or irritability
– Rapid breathing or difficulty breathing.
– Jaundice
– Rashes or redness on the skin.
– and involves inflammation.
Treatment of neonatal sepsis.
A blood test is done to detect this. After which antibiotics are administered as first aid.
Antibiotic resistance becomes a big problem
Antibiotic resistance is a situation where these antibiotics have no effect on any type of bacteria because the bacteria have developed immunity towards these drugs, so the effect of the drug stops on them. In such a situation, even treating the patient becomes difficult. This condition arises due to excessive and incorrect use of antibiotics. t
This serious problem occurs in children
According to recent studies, neonatal sepsis has become the leading cause of death in young children. From 2018 to 2020, research on this topic has been conducted in many countries, including Bangladesh, Brazil, China, Greece, India, Italy, Kenya, South Africa, Thailand, Vietnam, and Uganda. The problem of antibiotic resistance in children is a serious problem that will be difficult to treat with antibiotics in the future. Therefore, to prevent this, it has become mandatory to stop using antibiotics excessively and inappropriately.