Lëtzebuerger: Warns of antimicrobial abuse

The European Day of Antibiotics, an initiative to promote public health, takes place every year on 18 November. Its purpose is to raise awareness about the threat of antibiotic resistance to public health and to provide information on prudent use of antibiotics. Recent studies have shown that more and more patients are infected with antibiotic resistant bacteria and that antibiotic resistance is a major threat to public health. Prudent use of antibiotics can help reduce resistant bacteria and effectively maintain antibiotics in the future.

The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) decided in 2008 to launch the European Antibiotic Day on 18 November as a platform to support national campaigns across the region.

ECDC's mission is to identify, assess and raise awareness among EU citizens of the risks of communicable diseases. this includes the field of antimicrobial resistance. The management of these risks and the factors contributing to the control of communicable diseases are the responsibility of each EU Member State. The European Antibiotic Day is a partner of the World Antibiotic Week.

With the participation of Luxembourg

Luxembourg is actively participating in the European Antibiotic Day and this year launched an "Antibiotics – time to alert" campaign to highlight the inappropriate use of antibiotics in humans and animals that lead to the formation of multidrug-resistant bacteria. For example, the booklet notes that antibiotics treat "many serious infectious diseases, such as pneumonia and infections caused by bacterial-induced injuries."

However, inappropriate use of antibiotics "brings with it the development of new multi-drug resistant bacteria against which the oldest effective antibiotics are no longer effective". "If antibiotic resistance continues to grow, it will become increasingly difficult in the future to cure serious bacterial infections," he continues. And an amazing number says: "Today, more than 25,000 people die every year in the EU for multi-drug-resistant bacteria for which antibiotics have become ineffective."

On a European Day of Antibiotic Awareness, the Ministry of Health notes that antibiotics help against colds and flu, because "antibiotics are medicines used to treat bacterial infections". Antibiotics only work against infections caused by bacteria, such as some pneumonia, bladder infections or skin inflammation. A cold is caused by viruses and also influenza is caused by viruses. Not only antibiotics are useless but their inappropriate use can help bacteria to be resistant to antibiotics. Therefore, antibiotics should only be taken if they are prescribed by the doctor for a bacterial infection.

First event of the "National Antibiotic Plan"

On Wednesday, December 5, 2018, from 17:30 to 20:30, the National Antibiotic Plan will hold the first "La resistencia aux antibiotiques" meeting at Neimënster in the Stadtgrund. The event is addressed to health professionals. Registration is requested until 28 November at [email protected].