Prevalence and Misuse of Antibiotics during Omicron (Covid-19) Pandemic in Pakistan

Abstract

Introduction: The prevalence of self -medication with antibiotics is quite high in Pakistan as compared to developed countries. Antibiotics are often taken erroneously for certain ailments, without having the appropriate and sufficient knowledge of their use. As a result, this carries potential risks for the individual as well as the community, in form of several side effects such as antibiotic resistance. Therefore, the prevalence of self-medicated antibiotics in COVID-19 Omicron Pakistan needs to be studied and evaluated. Methods: An online based cross-sectional survey was conducted using a self-administered, self-made and validated questionnaire to address this key issue in Pakistan. This questionnaire was delivered country wide and making it sure that it would reach all the provinces including the capital of Pakistan. The questionnaire included general as well as specific questions in such a way that it targeted almost every single person having at least certain knowledge about medicines especially antibiotics. Data was collected using self-administered questionnaires and analyzed using SPSS version 21. Results: A total of 390 respondents were included in the final analysis. In this study men made up the majority of respondents, 240 (61.5%), and females made up about 150 (38.5%). Self-medication was quite prevalent in our study population with 125 (32.1%) out of 390 (100%) individuals were using any of the drugs since the start of pandemic. The most commonly utilized medications were cephalosporin, ceftriaxone (32.1%). Followed by macrolides, azithromycin, clarithromycin which was used by 119 (30.5%) participants. And penicillin, amoxicillin with clavulanic acid (17.4%) and fluoroquinolones, ciprofloxacin (7.2%) while the percentage of use of other antibiotics is 12.8%. The most common reasons reported for the usage of these medications included fatigue, cough, sore throat and runny nose which was about (48.7%). Conclusion: Our study revealed common self-medication practices among General population. It is a significant health issue especially during the pandemic times, with high consumption reported as a prevention or treating symptoms of Omicron.