WHO opposes the use of antibiotics for prevention

Antibiotics should not be used for prevention, Mark Sprenger, DIRECTOR of the World HEALTH Organization (WHO) secretariat for antimicrobial resistance, told RIA Novosti.

“This is a terribly bad idea. In very poor countries where there is no running water, clean water, sometimes women who are due to give birth are given antibiotics. Because there is dirt, and there is nothing,” he said.

He added that antibiotics should only be sold by prescription. The DOCTOR will be able to choose the appropriate drug for the situation.

Danilo Lo Pho Wong, HEAD of the antimicrobial resistance program in the WHO European Region, observed that taking low doses of antibiotics for a long time would kill "normal bacteria". Children who receive antibiotics when they don't need them may become obese later, he says, because the drug has altered their gut flora.

The expert also questioned the harm reduction from antibiotics when taking probiotics. At the same time, he emphasized that broad-spectrum antibiotics harm the bacteria in the intestine, so it is important to carry out “the most targeted treatment of your disease”, affecting exactly those bacteria that cause the disease.