Bacteria can make us ill. Antibiotics then (usually) help

What are bacteria? Bacteria are microorganisms and are therefore very small. We can only see them under a microscope. In addition to bacteria, there are other microorganisms, such as viruses, fungi and parasites. But let’s focus on bacteria. Most bacteria are harmless and yet very helpful Most bacteria are harmless to us and of- ten very helpful. For example, they occur naturally in our intestines, and without these vital bacteria, we would not be able to digest our food. We also use bacteria when we produce food, such as yoghurt or buttermilk. Some bacteria can make us ill Certain types of bacteria can make us ill and these are called pathogenic. Pathogenic bacteria can, for example, enter our body via a mucous membrane in our nose, or a wound, and then grow and spread. Normally our body (or our immune system) can handle these bacteria well. The bacteria are fought and destroyed by special defence cells in our body. However, if they grow strong, our body cannot cope with them. We become ill, depending on the type of bacteria, and we can even die in the worst case. Typical diseases caused by bacteria are middle ear infection, pneumonia, pertussis, tuberculosis or diarrhea caused by infected food. What are antibiotics? Antibiotics are drugs that we use when we have become ill because of bacteria, and our body is not able to cope with them on its own. Antibiotics stands for “against bacteria”. If we take an antibiotic, it fights the bacteria. For example, it makes them burst or prevents them from growing. Bacteria are smart guys and can learn to resist the antibiotics Bacteria have a talent which is very useful for them: They can easily adapt to a changing environment. This natural ability makes bacteria very successful creatures and they can therefore be found everywhere. However, this ability is a curse when it comes to antibiotics: When bacteria are exposed to antibiotics, they change. For ex- ample, they simply adapt their surface and the antibiotics bounce off. In this case, these drugs no longer work. This is called “antibiotic resistance”, as the bacteria become “resistant” to antibiotics. Antibiotics are only effective if the illness is caused by bacteria Antibiotic resistance is greatly accelerated when antibiotics are used too often and incorrectly. As an example, this happens when we take antibiotics even though a disease is caused by a virus and not bacteria. In fact, we can also become ill because of other microorganisms, such as viruses which cause influenza or colds. In this case, however, antibiotics are useless! Bacteria can make us ill. Antibiotics then (usually) help. © WHO/EURO © World Health Organization 2020. Some rights reserved. This work is available under the CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO license Document number: WHO/EURO:2020-1635-41386-56396 Resources and contact www.euro.who.int/amr www.e-bug.eu WHO Regional Office for Europe UN City, Marmorvej 51 DK-2100 Copenhagen Ø (Denmark) Tel.: +45 45 33 70 00 euantimicrobials@who.int What if antibiotics are not effective anymore? If someone has become ill because of resistant bacteria, antibiotics are no longer effective. In this case, people (and even animals) are often seriously ill for a very long time and can hardly be treated anymore. If no single antibiotic helps anymore, the person can even die. Let’s handle antibiotics carefully, because antibiotic resistance is everybody’s business! Since bacteria are everywhere, antibiotic resistance affects the whole world. It is a big problem that causes a lot of suffering! Let us therefore handle antibiotics with care! ☺ Always listen to a doctor or a health care professional! ☺ Do not buy antibiotics without medical advice! ☺ Do not take antibiotics that have been prescribed to someone else! ☺ Do not use up any old packages! ☺ Keep vaccinations up to date! ☺ Wash hands well and often! ☺ Tell everyone about antibiotic resistance! How can I and my family help keep antibiotics working? Let's summarize: Antibiotics are drugs. They are effective only against illnesses caused by These microorganisms can become to antibiotics. Antibiotics then work particularly well / faster / no longer (tick the right one). What can accelerate this? Describe: That's what I'm going to do: