WHO survey shows widespread misunderstanding about antibiotics

A  new multi-country survey carried by the World Helath organization has revealed widespread public misunderstanding about antibiotic resistance. A statement from the WHO headquatres said it shows people are confused about this major threat to public health and do not understand how to prevent it from growing.  According to the statement “Antibiotic resistance happens when […]

A  new multi-country survey carried by the World Helath organization has revealed widespread public misunderstanding about antibiotic resistance.
A statement from the WHO headquatres said it shows people are confused about this major threat to public health and do not understand how to prevent it from growing.
 According to the statement “Antibiotic resistance happens when bacteria change and become resistant to the antibiotics used to treat the infections they cause. Over-use and misuse of antibiotics increase the development of resistant bacteria, and this survey points out some of the practices, gaps in understanding and misconceptions which contribute to this phenomenon.”
 The survey showed that almost two thirds (64%) of some 10 000 people who were surveyed across 12 countries say they know antibiotic resistance is an issue that could affect them and their families, but how it affects them and what they can do to address it are not well understood.“The rise of antibiotic resistance is a global health crisis, and governments now recognize it as one of the greatest challenges for public health today. It is reaching dangerously high levels in all parts of the world,” says Dr Margaret Chan, WHO Director-General, in launching the survey findings today. “Antibiotic resistance is compromising our ability to treat infectious diseases and undermining many advances in medicine.”
 The survey findings coincide with the launch of a new WHO campaign ‘Antibiotics: Handle with care’-a global initiative to improve understanding of the problem and change the way antibiotics are used.
 Another key finding of the survey was that almost three quarters (73%) of respondents say farmers should give fewer antibiotics to food-producing animals.
Findings from the survey in Nigeria show that almost three quarters (73%) of respondents report taking antibiotics within the past six months; 75% of respondents state they were prescribed or provided by a doctor or nurse; 5% say they bought them from a stall or hawker.
More respondents in Nigeria than any other country included in the survey correctly identify that antibiotics do not work for colds and flu (47%), however 44% of respondents think they do.
And Only 38% of respondents have heard of the term ‘antibiotic resistance’-the second lowest proportion of all the countries surveyed.