Why our go-to antibiotics can no longer protect us

Picture this: you fall ill, visit the hospital, and undergo tests. The doctor informs you that you have a bacterial infection. You are prescribed antibiotics and sent home with a warning: “You should feel better after two days, but please make sure you complete your seven-day dose.”

A week later, you feel worse than when you first sought treatment. The antibiotics have failed to work. You return to the same hospital, where doctors try a different antibiotic, this time intravenously, and admit you because your condition is deteriorating. After three months of moving in and out of hospital, you die, not only from the blood infection but also from another drug-resistant infection acquired while hospitalised. Doctors say no antibiotic seems to work.

This scenario is becoming increasingly common in Kenya, where antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is rising. AMR occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi, or parasites develop the ability to withstand medicines designed to kill them, making infections more difficult to treat. In Kenya, the misuse and overuse of antibiotics in human health, agriculture, and animal production have accelerated this phenomenon.

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