Antimicrobial resistance is a threat to world public health. Recognizing this, the European Union (EU) has launched a Community strategy against antimicrobial resistance, which includes initiatives to promote its safe use and to combat misconceptions about antibiotics.Thus, since 2008, the EU organizes an annual campaign to raise awareness on the proper use of antibiotics, coordinated by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control - ECDC. We have echoed these campaigns in this blog.
However, despite these and other initiatives, the results published in 2010 in the antimicrobial resistance Eurobarometer shows that citizens ignore issues such as when to take and what are antibiotics.
The study was conducted through a survey of 26 761 inhabitants of the EU member countries. A summary of the most relevant results are shown in the following presentation that compares the situation of our country (Spain) with the rest of Europe.
Conocimiento de la población europea con respecto al uso de antibióticos. Eurobarómetro 2010
View more presentations from Sano y Salvo.
As a conclusion, future campaigns on antibiotics should be more consistent and show that antibiotics are completely ineffective against viruses. The broadcasts on television that target the public in general are still valid, because they reach large numbers of people.
Citizens rely on their doctors to obtain adequate information regarding the use of antibiotics, so these professionals can and should participate actively in these campaigns.
Posted by Guadalupe Olivera
English version by Erika Céspedes
Versión en español de esta entrada
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