Linda Hall: Were men right all along?

Linda Hall is assistant editor at Hawke's Bay Today.

Maybe, just maybe, men have been right all along about going to the doctors. Or should I say not going to the doctors.

Most men I know don't like visiting the doctors, they tend to "think she'll be right mate", "I'm tough" and put it off as long as possible.

Now, in light of the reports that antibiotic use needs to be reduced in New Zealand, it seems they might have the right idea.

Do we run to the doctors too often? The answer according to some experts is yes because more bacteria is becoming resistant to antibiotics.

In fact I listened to Dr Siouxsie Wiles, a leading microbiologist (you know the one with the bright red hair) say on telly earlier in the month that New Zealand could be set back 100 years when disease-causing microbes eventually become resistant to antibiotics.

She said: "A new report by the World Health Organisation suggesting that within a decade antibiotics will no longer be effective in killing bacterial diseases is correct and reflects what clinicians and microbiologists have been saying for years".

That is a scary thought. Imagine the consequences, a simple infection could be fatal, surgery becomes risky, the implications are enormous.

She said the WHO's report was not scare-mongering but a way of making people sit up and take note of the global situation.

So what do we do. Other reports say that some doctors feel pressured by their patients to prescribe antibiotics,

I think our fast-paced, must go to work, can't afford to be sick society has a lot to do with our need for antibiotics.

Many working mothers simply can't afford to take time off work to stay home for days on end with sick children.

So off they go to the doctors at the first sign of a cough or cold. Now I'm not saying this is a bad thing, children's health can deteriorate quickly and I know what it's like to lay awake at night listening to your children cough. It's not nice.

I bet they wish with all their hearts that they could stay home, but they feel pressured. Especially if they have just returned to the workforce, they don't want to let anyone down so of course they want their children to get better as soon as they can ... and how do they do that? With antibiotics.

Adults do the same. Instead of staying home and keeping their bugs to themselves they go to work for the same reason. They don't want to let the team down.

I've done it myself, gone to work when I've felt terrible and I've also gone to the doctors wanting something to fix me straight away so I can go back to work.

A report published in the New Zealand Medical Journal last week says the Ministry of Health needs to take steps to reduce antibiotic consumption in New Zealand by setting reduction targets.

Associate Professor Mark Thomas from the University of Auckland's Department of Molecular Medicine and Pathology said: "Antibiotic use in New Zealand needs to be reduced if we are to slow the spread of antibiotic resistant bacteria."

So that's two experts in their field telling us we need to do something about our antibiotic use.

I think we need to listen. I don't like being sick, I'm sure no one does.

With winter just days away perhaps it's timely to take some precautionary health measures. Eat good food, step outside on the weekend and go for a walk. If you have children ask a friend or a relative if they could step in for you if your child gets ill. I know it's easier said than done, especially when that nasty old thing called guilt comes calling. Guilt for not going to work, or for not being at home with your children.

There is no easy solution but we all need to start thinking about our future health needs.