Antibiotic resistance hits Aboriginal kids

Half of all Aboriginal children in remote communities have had at least six antibiotic prescriptions before they reach their first birthday.

Half of all Aboriginal children in remote communities have had at least six antibiotic prescriptions before they reach their first birthday, leading to high rates of antimicrobial drugs and a related risk of developing antibiotic resistance.

Infectious disease experts say urgent action is needed to address widespread outbreaks of antibiotic resistance in remote Aboriginal Australia before it has a dangerous impact on health.

Research by Telethon Health Institute in Perth and Royal Melbourne Hospital has revealed some of the nation’s highest rates of antibiotic resistance to bacteria such as golden staph: about 50 per cent in remote towns compared with 15 per cent in the rest of Australia.

Researchers say it is a vexed problem because Aboriginal children are at high risk of rheumatic fever and heart disease caused by routine infections.

In February former indigenous health minister Ken Wyatt — now Indigenous Australians Minister — committed to a roadmap to eradicate rheumatic heart disease, which can result from an abnormal immune reaction to sore throats and skin infections.

When left untreated, the disease can lead to permanent disability and premature death. Rheumatic heart disease kills 100 Aboriginal people each year, many of them children. Associate professor Asha Bowen, head of skin health at Telethon Kids ­Institute, says prescribing antimicrobial drugs is essential for many patients with infections.

“Those drug courses may be needed and the high rates reflect the high burden of infection in some communities, but it means we really do need new ideas for prevention of antimicrobial resistance,’’ she said.’’

Increased resistance to certain bacteria and microbes leads to a reduction in the range of antibiotics that doctors and clinic staff can prescribe to treat infections.

The new data on antibiotic ­resistance has been published in The Medical Journal of Australia.

But Professor Bowen says better data about antimicrobial drug use is needed to understand the extent of the problem. She has led audit teams in the Kimberley, Top End and northern Queensland to identify the extent and type of antibiotics consumed, and audit results will be published later this year.

Co-author Steven Tong, from Royal Melbourne Hospital, says it is hard to find the right balance in treating infection.

“We don’t want to discourage people from seeking treatment and taking antibiotics when they need them,” he said. “But doctors need to be assisted to prescribe the right antibiotic for the correct amount of time.”