Launched in 2002, the slogan “Antibiotics are not automatic” is still as relevant today. Overconsumption of antibiotics dangerously undermines their effectiveness and increases antimicrobial resistance which could be responsible for 10 million deaths worldwide by 2050, the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned.
“While AMR, resistance to antimicrobials (including 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. », lamented in a press release from WHO Europe, which includes 53 countries and extends to Central Asia. The UN organization estimates that, without immediate intervention, AMR could cause up to 10 million deaths per year by 2050. An observation already made by an English economist in 2016.
Beware of the wrong prescription
Main source of concern for health authorities: incorrect prescription. A study carried out in 14 countries in the region, located in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, shows that the reasons given to justify taking antibiotics are in 24% of cases colds followed by flu symptoms (16%), illness throat (21%) and cough (18%). “This situation is worrying, because these symptoms are often caused by viruses against which antibiotics are not effective,” the press release stressed.
In certain countries, more than 40% of antibiotics were obtained without medical advice, a figure five times higher than that measured in the European Union according to a 2022 study. For the WHO, another danger of antibiotic resistance is to exacerbate inequalities, because the least educated and lowest income people are those who have the worst practices, according to the study.