Self-medication on the rise in Africa, posing significant health risks, warns Dr. Samadoulougou

According to the World Health Organization WHO, self-medication involves an individual choosing and using medication for a self-identified ailment or symptom without professional medical advice. A 2023 study in Burkina Faso by Yaméogo AR and colleagues found that approximately 55% of respondents practiced self-medication. Common reasons for self-medication in Burkina Faso include financial constraints, difficulty accessing doctors, distance to health centers, and reliance on advice from acquaintances and the internet.

The easy availability of medicines from street vendors also contributes to the problem. People frequently self-medicate for fever, pain headaches, dental pain, coughs, diarrhea, and malaria. Commonly used medications without prescriptions include paracetamol, anti-inflammatories like diclofenac and ibuprofen, and antibiotics such as amoxicillin and metronidazole, as well as antimalarials.

The dangers of self-medication include masking serious illnesses, delaying proper diagnosis, causing side effects, leading to poisoning especially from street-sold medicines stored in heat, and promoting antimicrobial resistance. Dr. Samadoulougou warns that incorrect dosages can lead to organ damage, citing paracetamol's hepatotoxicity in overdose and the nephrotoxicity of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory dr