A true story from Mr. A, a health and physical science student at the University of Nigeria.
Bacteria is common in western Africa where I come from and this is one of the disease causing organism that account for loss of lives yearly, especially in sub Saharan Africa.
Right from childhood, I have been suffering from strep throat which is caused by “group A streptococcus”. This group of streptococcus is infrequent, but pathogenic. It causes illness by producing small zones of “beta-hemolysis”. Its symptoms include fever, sore throat, headaches and pains when you try to swallow, making it difficult to eat or drink because of the sore on the lower palate. And this has caused me a lot of money.
I have used a countless number of antibiotics on the basis of self-medication, until a family doctor recommended “AMPICLOX⁴”, an antibiotic that belong to the family of drugs known as “penicillin”. It is a combination of “cloxacillin” and “ampicillin”. It is used for diverse bacteria treatments which includes: respiratory tract infections such as bronchitis and other infections caused by streptococcus, influenza, gastrointestinal infections, urogenital infections, bone and joint infections caused by “Neisseria meningitides”, abscess after minor surgery, etc. According to my family doctor, the medication is taken by pouring the powder directly on the sour throat and wait for about 5 minutes, morning and night for 3 days. Ampiclox resulted in some side effects for me, and everything time I took the drug, it would result in a skin rash developing on my chest.
The biggest problem is that, after taking Ampiclox, and thinking that the infection is gone, the infection comes back again in about three months, and I would have to reapply the drug every time this happens. This made me stressed out because I had to buy it in bulk and apply it once every two weeks to avoid the strep throat from coming back. and I found myself abusing the drug just to avoid the distress caused by the streptococcus bacterium. I sought herbal solutions after I found out the ampicillin does not cure my own strep throat, all to no avail.
One faithful Monday, a colleague in my workplace told me about a drug which his cousin who lives in japan brought for his mother, who suffers from strep throat also. During our course of discussion, he told me that after his mother took the drug, hers was history. I then collected his cousin’s digit and sent him a message on whatsapp, telling him to get me the drug when next he comes home.
He came home for the Christmas celebration last year, and bought “macrolide antibiotic Clarithromycin”, a medication that is manufactured by Taisho pharmaceutical Co, a pharmaceutical company based In Tokyo, Japan. It is an antibiotic used to treat a variety of ailments like: strep throat, pneumonia, skin infections, “lyme disease”, etc. It is also used to prevent “bacterial endocarditis” in those who cannot take penicillin. It is effective against upper and lower respiratory tract infections, skin and soft tissue infections and some bacteria associated with “duodenal tracts”. It can be taken by mouth as a pill or liquid. Although it has so many side effects like: vomiting, nausea, headaches, diarrhea, etc., it cured my strep throat and since then, I have not suffered from that ailment again.
