Rachael Becker
April 4, 2017
English 1900 S9
DL Essay
Pros and Cons of Antibiotic Resistance Prevention
Antibiotic resistance has been a world-wide issue over the past couple decades. Drug-
resistant bacteria are such an issue because they can get into people’s bodies by having exposed
cuts in hospitals, the abuse of antibiotics, and even by not completing the full cycle of the
antibiotic. Furthering this problem is the fact that most of the general public is not informed on
antibiotics, their target, how they are spread, and the life-long effects they can have due to
antibiotic resistance. This being said, scientists have come up with some ways to help prevent the
spread of these “superbugs”, or drug-resistant bacteria, including good hygiene, ending over-the-
counter drug abuse, and better informing patients of risks. On the other hand, some of these
solutions may not have the expected outcome; in fact, they could result in increasing the strength
of superbugs, bringing more superbugs into the world than necessarry, undermining the issue, or
worse.
The most general way scientists say antibiotic resistance can be reduced is by having
good hygiene. Good hygiene allows people to stay healthy, eliminating the use of antibiotics in
the first place (“WHO” 1). Advising patients to follow necessary precautions of staying healthy
may keep them healthy, reducing their exposure to antibiotics and, therefore, drug resistant
bacteria. While this is true, good hygiene also helps keep “superbugs” from spreading in the
hospital. Stopping resistant bacteria from getting into patients can be as easy as good hygiene
(“WHO” 1-2). This is because any bacteria that may carry resistance can easily be spread by
touching open wounds or cuts of patients with unclean hands, tools, beddings, etc. This general
tip could make a huge impact on ending the spread of “superbugs”.
Becker
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While this may be a good general tip to consider, it could also backfire on society. By
washing one’s hands, he or she has just exposed bacteria to a disinfectant. Through natural
selection, the surviving bacteria can spread its resistance to the disinfectant, eventually causing a
new “superbug” that is resistant to the different types of disinfectant they were exposed to. This
will not only keep bacteria from dying when people wash their hands, but will also allow
bacteria to continue being spread around to patients. Therefore, this simple trick may not be
enough to terminate the problem of drug resistant bacteria.
Luckily, scientists have more solutions than just washing hands. The next basic tip they
are offering is the eradication of over-the-counter drug abuse. Often, the general public does not
realize the harm in taking antibiotics that are over-the-counter because they believe that these
drugs are not as strong if they are not prescribed. However, WHO encourages people to advise
