The abuse of antibiotics is reducing their effectiveness and creating resistant germs, which the World Health Organization has warned could account for 10 million deaths globally by the year 2050.
This warning was issued on Thursday in response to a WHO survey on antibiotic use.
Antibiotics were administered for common colds (24 percent of cases), flu-like symptoms (16 percent), sore throats (21 percent), and coughs (18 percent), according to a report by the WHO’s European branch.
The majority of the 14 nations where the study was conducted were in Eastern Europe and Central Asia.
“While AMR (antimicrobial resistance) is a natural phenomenon, the development and spread of superbugs are being accelerated by the misuse of antimicrobials, rendering infections more challenging to treat effectively,” a statement said.
“All countries in our region have regulations in place to protect precious antibiotics from misuse… Enforcing these regulations would solve most antibiotic misuse,” Robb Butler, director of WHO Europe’s Division of Communicable Diseases, said in a statement.
The World Health Organization (WHO) issued a warning that, in the absence of prompt action, antibiotic resistance among antimicrobials could result in up to 10 million annual deaths by 2050.
It added that a third of the 8,200 respondents worldwide have taken antibiotics without a prescription, citing improper prescription as a “cause for concern.”
More than 40% of antibiotics were prescribed without a doctor’s recommendation in some nations.
On the other hand, a similar poll carried out in the European Union in 2022 revealed that just 8% of participants used antibiotics without a prescription.
The WHO also observed that there were significant gaps in people’s understanding on antibiotics, which means that they may be taking antibiotics unintentionally.
“This research clearly shows the need for education and awareness raising,” Butler said.
AFP
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