The overuse of antibiotics such as Penicillins, Cephalosporins, Fluoroquinolones, Macrolides, Tetracyclines, and Sulfonamides dangerously undermines their effectiveness and increases antimicrobial resistance (AMR), which could be responsible for 10 million deaths worldwide by 2050, the European division of the World Health Organization (WHO) warned recently.
Antibiotic Resistance
“Although antimicrobial resistance (which includes antibiotics) is a natural phenomenon, the development and spread of superbugs is accelerated by the misuse of antimicrobials, making infections more difficult to treat effectively,” WHO Europe, which has 53 countries and extends to Central Asia, lamented in a press release.
“All countries in our region have regulations in place to protect precious antibiotics from misuse. Enforcing these rules will allow us to address most of the problems of antibiotic misuse,” emphasizes Robb Butler, head of the Infectious Diseases Division.
The UN organization estimates that, without immediate intervention, AMR could cause up to 10 million deaths a year by 2050.
A highly worrying situation
The biggest source of concern for health authorities is inappropriate prescribing. A study carried out in 14 countries in the region, located in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, shows that the reasons for antibiotic use in 24% of cases are common colds, followed by flu-like symptoms (16%), sore throats (21%), and coughs (18%).
“This situation is worrying, as these symptoms are often caused by viruses against which antibiotics are ineffective,” the statement said.
According to the study, which covers Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkey, and Uzbekistan, a third of the nearly 8,200 people surveyed were also taking antibiotics without a prescription.
In some countries, more than 40% of antibiotics were taken without medical advice, a figure five times higher than that measured in the EU, according to a 2022 study.
A high need to educate the public
For the WHO, another danger of antibiotic resistance is that it exacerbates inequalities, since the least educated and those with the lowest incomes have the worst practices, according to the study.
This “clearly shows the need for education and raising awareness”, insisted Robb Butler.
Antibiotic resistance can be “rooted in learned social and cultural norms”, such as “not finishing a course of antibiotics to save up for the next time you get sick” or “sharing a medicine with a sick relative or neighbor”, he pointed out.
References
World Health Organization. (2023, November 23). Control antibiotic misuse or the drugs won’t work, warn WHO experts. WHO Regional Office for Europe. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/europe/news/item/23-11-2023-control-antibiotic-misuse-or-the-drugs-won-t-work–warn-who-experts
