- Author, Gemma Dunstan
- Role, BBC Wales live
A woman who requires antibiotics almost every two months says her growing resistance to them has caused “stress and suffering”.
Sian Jones, from Vale of Glamorgan, spoke about her experience to prevent others from feeling isolated, as she believes it is a subject often “considered taboo”.
Experts predict that drug-resistant infections will kill more people than cancer by 2050 unless action is taken.
One expert told BBC Wales Live the problem was “a tsunami coming towards us”.
Sian, 71, has suffered from recurring urinary tract infections since she was 18.
“I feel sick because of the infections, they are painful, uncomfortable and it makes me depressed.”
She said it affected everyday life, sometimes having to cancel plans and stay home.
“When I was employed, I regularly had sick leave because some days I was too weak to attend. When I have a urinary infection, I know I am hopeless, there is nothing I can do.”
She said she tried to stay healthy and self-medicate with cranberry juice and vitamins, but often needed medication.
Sian said having to return to the doctor for additional prescriptions because antibiotics didn’t work had happened “too often”.
“It’s so stressful that you have to go through the process of going to the GP and then taking more antibiotics until it goes away. It’s really a problem for us women who suffer from this way.”
She participated in medical research “because she wants to make a difference and prevent others from suffering.”
She believes it is important to speak out to prevent the subject from becoming taboo or resembling a stigma.
Last week the Welsh Government published a national antimicrobial resistance action plan for 2024 and 2029.
This is part of a 20-year vision with other UK governments to control antimicrobial resistance by 2040.
According to the report, a future in which antibiotics and antimicrobials are ineffective would mean that routine surgical procedures would become “too dangerous to perform and chemotherapy would become high risk.”
He said a “One Health approach” was needed. This involves recognizing that there is a multi-factorial way to address this problem via people, animals and the wider environment.
Image source, Aileen Bryson
Aileen Bryson is a pharmacist and member of the patient support team at the charity Antibiotic Research UK.
She said the medical research charity was established 10 years ago, but patient support has evolved over the past four years as it has become a growing issue for people.
“Antibiotic resistance can have a huge impact on people’s lives. People often talk about their shortening and diminishing lifespans and how it affects their entire family. »
She said that by the time people ask for help, they are often desperate.
“We’ve had people tell us that life just isn’t worth living like that. We hear that kind of statement quite often because they’re pretty desperate.”
She said the fact that people could talk to someone and understand their situation was “crucial”.
“We don’t have a magic answer, but we can discuss the issues and help them understand them better.”
Professor Angharad Davies, of Health and Care Research Wales, said antimicrobial resistance was a huge public health problem.
“By 2050, scientists think more people will die from antimicrobial resistance infections than will die from cancer. So this is a major problem.”
“This is a very real and active problem and that is why we are moving away from the term silent pandemic, because it makes it seem like it is not having an impact, when it is. absolutely.”
She is part of a team working to prevent the consequences of AMR, including conducting trials to determine how to reduce unnecessary antibiotic prescribing.
“Most sore throats are caused by viral infections, not bacteria, but they can be difficult to spot.”
Rapid throat swab tests have been rolled out to pharmacies as part of a trial to try to determine the cause.
“The study showed a significant reduction in antimicrobial prescriptions dispensed, and it has now been rolled out across Wales.”
She said more research in this area was vital and required a multifactorial approach.
“We can’t just tackle this problem in one sector, the causes are complex. It exists not only in medicine, but also in plants and animals, which all contribute.”
If you are affected by any of the issues covered in this article, you can find details of organizations that can help via BBC Action Line.
News Source : www.bbc.com
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