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Comment by rvba | Hacker News Reader

The problem with developing a new antibiotic is that doctors from third world countries will prescribe them like candy - so the bacteria become resistant to it fast.

In fact Im very scared when I read that there are plans to use antibiotics "borrowed" from ants, or bees, because probably the antibiotic will be dumped by tons and become useless after 2-3 years, while all the ants or bees in the world die out.

Apart from third world countries giving antibiotics like candy, other problem are farmers, who also feed the livestock by the bucket. That's how we get bacteria resistant to everything.

The brutal reality is that new antibiotics cannot be sent to some countries, but that is very difficult to do.

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Is that a third world countries issue? I’ve heard of it in the UK, there are a lot of comments on this page about it in the US. Your point about livestock is good, but that is definitely happening in the UK and US.

Going to my doctor just to get the certificate for sick leave, I will prescribed with antibiotics even for the simplest of colds. This is in Germany.

Your points are all entirely valid, except the "third world country" stuff: all the things you complain about are common in the richest and most developed nations. It's a systemic problem everywhere, not just in poorer countries. In fact, it might be worse in the richer countries because access to these drugs is more affordable (relative to local cost of living) there: farmers in a rich country can easily afford to pump up their livestock on unnecessary antibiotics, whereas poor farmers in some backwards country can't afford that and probably don't have access to the drugs.

Not only a third world country issue of course…but also, I had the reverse experience in Madagascar for instance where doctors were a lot eager to narrow down what you actually needed and how much you need it to avoid throwing the kitchen sink at you.

Depending on the country and situation medecine can be pricy and in limited supply, wasting it away becomes a disaster in many more ways than long term resistance.

Not only third world, I have read several articles over the years that it is (was?) prevalent in the US as well.

Yeah, many urgent care doctors here will prescribe antibiotics just to get the patient out of there as fast as they can even when they almost certainly have a viral infection

Not my experience. Many doctors seem very hesitant to prescribe antibiotics. Even 10 years ago I was in the ER for a deep flush wound from shop accident, almost killed myself. Had a large open wound from a dirty saw. They made sure I was up my my tentis shot but no antibiotics. When I asked about them, they said they would treat if an infection presented itself but not before

> The problem with developing a new antibiotic is that doctors from third world countries will prescribe them like candy

I think you mean first-world countries.

It's everywhere in the world. You can get antibiotics without a prescription in India.

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