WHO conducted a survey of 10,000 respondents from 12 countries (South Africa, Barbados, China, Egypt, Russian Federation, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Nigeria , Serbia, Sudan and Viet Nam) to analyze the use of antibiotics and the general public’s knowledge of antibiotic resistance.
A lack of knowledge of antibiotics
The conclusions of this study published in a press release revealed that:
- 64% believe that antibiotics can be used to treat colds and the flu and are therefore unaware of their lack of effectiveness on viruses.
- 32% think they can stop their antibiotic treatment as soon as their condition improves and therefore ignore the importance of compliance for the effectiveness of the treatment.
- 76% believe that antibiotic resistance occurs when the body becomes resistant,
- 66% are unaware of the risk of infection resistant to medications,
- 44% think antibiotic resistance is only a problem for people who take antibiotics regularly.
Reduce the use of antibiotics to what is strictly necessary
On the occasion of World Antibiotic Awareness Week (16-22 November), WHO launched a global campaign on the proper use of antibiotics. It is intended for the general public but wants to attract the attention of health and agricultural professionals.
Because resistance to antibiotics is a public health problem. Whenever antibiotics are used in any setting, bacteria evolve to develop resistance. This process can occur at an alarming rate. “These drugs are a precious and limited resource, the more antibiotics we use today, the less likely we are to have effective antibiotics tomorrow,” says Steve Solomon, director of the US Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC Antibiotic resistance kills 23,000 people in the United States and costs society $35 billion.
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