Global Antimicrobial Resistance Awareness Week, which took place from November 18 to 24, 2024, aims to raise awareness among all audiences about the progression of bacterial resistance to antibiotics.
If anti-infectives, and in particular antibiotics, have made it possible to extend the lifespan of human beings, this invention (which dates from 1928 with penicillin G) has its counterpart today since resistance to antibiotics has become a problem major public health issue for France and around the world. Antibiotic resistance is the ability of a bacteria to resist the action of an antibiotic. The consumption of antibiotics, rebounding in 2021 and 2022, however declined in 2023 in France (1), which nevertheless remains among the poor performers in Europe since it is one of the top five European countries. more consumers of antibiotics.
Reducing the consumption of antibiotics is therefore an objective of the health authorities, in France and in other countries, to slow down the appearance of bacteria resistant to these molecules. The World Health Organization (WHO) depicts it as one of the major global public health threats, already leading to around 1.3 million deaths each year.
As the Ministry of Health points out, “We all have a role to play in limiting the appearance of resistant bacteria. You just need to follow some simple rules! “.
Eight good gestures (2)
1. Follow the prescription: dose, duration, frequency, and times of treatment.
2. Read the instructions to check the terms of use and precautions for use. If in doubt, ask your healthcare professional.
3. Report any adverse effects occurring during treatment to the pharmacist, doctor or directly on the signalement-sante.gouv.fr website.
4. Once the treatment is finished, return all opened or unused boxes to the pharmacist so that the antibiotics are destroyed correctly and do not pollute the environment.
5. Do not take antibiotics without a prescription from a doctor, dentist or midwife.
6. Do not stop treatment prematurely, even if your condition improves: in fact, getting better does not mean that all the bacteria responsible for the infection have been eliminated. Those that remain can then develop resistance against this antibiotic (which will no longer be effective the next time it is used).
7. Do not reuse antibiotics started or not used during a previous treatment without medical advice, even if the symptoms seem the same.
8. Do not give your treatment to anyone else (a prescription is adapted to each person and each situation).
Sources
(1) Public Health France.
Belgium
