Public Confusion About Antibiotics Fuels Superbug Resistance

A few countries provided majority of good responses like in South Africa, 87% of the participants were aware of the fact that they should only stop taking antibiotics after they complete prescription course.

“As the WHO ramps up its fight against antibiotic resistance, a new multi-country survey shows people are confused about this major threat to public health and do not understand how to prevent it from growing”, the statement said.

WHO’s 12-country survey published today found that almost two thirds of all those questioned (64 per cent) believe wrongly that antibiotics can be used to treat colds and flu, despite the fact that the drugs have no impact on viruses.

Antibiotic resistance – where bacteria adapt and mutate to endure the antibiotics used to treat them – is believed to originate from the overuse and abuse of the drugs, worsening the development of so-called superbugs.

A few 66 percent believe individuals are not at risk of a drug-resistant infection if they personally take their antibiotics as prescribed.

In fact anyone, regardless of age, country, or antibiotic consumption, can catch an antibiotic-resistant infection, and we can all play a part in halting the spread of antibiotic-resistant diseases.

She said that the problem was reaching high levels throughout the world and may even lead to the end of modern medicine.

“Three-quarters (75 pc) of respondents think, incorrectly, that colds and influenza can be treated with antibiotics, and usually 58 per cent know that they should stop holding antibiotics usually when they finish a march as directed”, a World Health Organization matter said.

Antibiotic resistance happens when bugs become immune to existing drugs, allowing minor injuries and common infections to become deadly. It is time for doctors to start treating antibiotics as a valuable commodity. Almost half (44 per cent) of people surveyed think antibiotic resistance is only a problem for people who take antibiotics regularly.

The WHO’s director general, Margaret Chan, has warned that antibiotic resistance is harming human body by compromising the ability to treat infectious diseases and also by reducing the value of advances made in medicine field.

Another key finding of the survey was that nearly three quarters (73 per cent) of respondents say farmers should give fewer antibiotics to food-producing animals.

Matthew Rycroft, permanent representative of the United Kingdom to the UN, said at the press conference that the antibiotic resistance – also known as antimicrobial resistance or AMR – is already causing 700,000 deaths per year and that this number may increase to 10 million people by the year 2050. One of the plan’s five objectives is to improve awareness and understanding of antibiotic resistance through effective communication, education and training.