Antibiotics are a health threat

Many people have a misconception about the use of antibiotics and do not understand the threat they can pose. Reception of antibiotics can cause the development of resistance of bacteria, i.e. When microorganisms change and resist the action of antibacterial drugs. If antibiotics are used improperly or excessively, antibiotic resistance develops and, as the study has shown, in some countries this is somewhat facilitated by misunderstanding of the population and inappropriate administration and administration of such drugs.

The study was conducted in 12 countries, about 10 thousand people were interviewed, and more than 60% of respondents noted that they are aware of the problem of antibacterial resistance, but they are not fully aware of the consequences and what they personally can do to prevent this problem.

64% of respondents said that antibiotics are necessary for the treatment of colds and flu, although they know that such drugs are powerless against viruses. 32% noted that the use of antibiotics should be stopped, as soon as the state of health is normalized, it does not matter whether the course of admission is over or not.

Read also:

• When can I take antibiotics for flu?
• Can I take antibiotics for ARVI?

Nevertheless, according to WHO in the world there is an increase in resistance to antibiotics, and this is already a global crisis in the health care system.

In each country, antibacterial resistance is one of the biggest problems and today it has reached the limit in all regions.

Stability of bacteria to drugs leads to the fact that physicians are powerless against a number of infectious diseases, in addition, this development negates all the scientific and medical achievements over the past decades.

The end of the research coincided with the company WHO is conducting - "Antibiotics - use carefully!".

Antibiotics do not treat viruses, for example, for colds and flu

Take only those antibiotics that are prescribed to you by a professional medical professional

Always finish the prescribed course of antibiotics (even if you feel better)

Never give your antibiotics to other people (even your family members).

Wash your hands to prevent infections (and avoid having to take antibiotics)

Within the framework of the company, WHO calls for interaction between governments of different countries and health authorities in order to jointly combat the growth of antibacterial resistance and change the attitude of citizens to antibiotics.

Among the common misconceptions were identified the following:

• resistance to antibiotics develops due to the formation of the body's resistance (in reality only bacteria acquire resistance to antibiotics, which further prevents the treatment of infections)
• it is not possible to become resistant to antibiotics if taking drugs according to the treatment regimen, it is also considered that resistance develops only in those who regularly take antibiotics
• almost half of the respondents believed that people can not do anything to prevent this problem, fewer respondents believe in doctors who must solve the problem with antibacterial resistance.

Most respondents noted that in order to prevent the growth of resistance, farmers should reduce the amount of antibiotics that are given to animals.

To solve this problem and increase the awareness of citizens, the WHO company "Antibiotics - use caution!" Was launched. In addition, in May this year, a large-scale action plan was adopted to combat resistance to antimicrobials. One of the main goals of the plan is to raise awareness and understanding of the development of antibacterial resistance among citizens.

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