The French still consume too many antibiotics, warns a report by Public Health France. The danger of misuse is creating resistant bacteria, which cause more than 5,500 deaths each year.
Taking antibiotics is dangerous to health. Excessive or incorrect consumption of these drugs promotes antibiotic resistance, which is responsible for 5,543 deaths annually in France, according to a study by the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control. On the occasion of the World Week for the Good Use of Antibiotics, which takes place from 18 to 24 November, the French Ministry of Public Health and the Ministry of Health, Prevention and Health Insurance have launched a preventive campaign entitled “Antibiotics: to take good care of oneself, first of all to use them well”.
Bronchitis, laryngitis, sore throat, influenza … We are evaluating the benefit of antibiotics with Dr. Anne Berger-Carbon, microbiologist and head of the healthcare-associated infection and antibiotic resistance unit at Public Health France.
Antibiotics are effective against bacterial diseases
Antibiotic drugs work either by preventing bacteria from growing or by killing them. There are several families (penicillins, quinolones, macrolides, etc.) and each of them is only effective against a specific bacteria or family of bacteria. It can thus be subject to a prescription against diseases of bacterial origin such as:
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Cystitis
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Bacterial pneumonia
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Bacterial angina
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Bacterial meningitis
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Boil or abscess
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Acute pyelonephritis
To reduce the phenomenon of antibiotic resistance, “the duration of treatment must be strictly respected, insists Dr. Ann Berger-Carbon. Leftover medicines must be returned to the pharmacy and must never be reused for yourself or someone close to them, even if the symptoms are the same.”
Antibiotics, useless against viral infections
On the other hand, antibiotics do not affect infections caused by a virus such as:
According to a report by Public Health France published on November 2, nearly one in two French people believe that it is advisable to take antibiotics for sore throats and that antibiotics allow you to get back on your feet faster. However, 80% of angina is viral and antibiotics do not affect symptoms such as cough, fever or headache. “Consuming antibiotics does not allow you to recover faster from a viral infection, which naturally heals within one to two weeks,” Dr. Ann Berger-Carbon specifies. When you have an ENT infection, you rest at home and we take antipyretics. (Paracetamol eg, editor’s note) Against fever eg.
Antibiotic resistance could become one of the leading causes of death worldwide.
In its report, the French public health authority expressed concern about an increase in antibiotic prescriptions in 2021, especially among children aged 0 to 4 years, after a decrease observed in 2020. “Around 700 antibiotic prescriptions were carried out for every 1,000 of The general population in France, excluding hospitalizations “, confirms the doctor.
Inappropriate or incorrect use has contributed to the development and spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, called antibiotic resistance. It occurs when bacteria develop defense mechanisms, which reduce or eliminate the effect of antibiotics. “If antibiotic overuse habits are not stopped, antibiotic resistance could become one of the leading causes of death worldwide,” notes the Department of Health. According to a study by the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control, this resistance would lead to approximately 5,500 deaths per year in France.
“Antibiotic resistance can lead to complications due to bacterial infections that were previously easy to treat, longer and more difficult-to-treat illnesses, and the use of more powerful medications to achieve a cure,” explains Dr. Berger-Carbon. Antibiotic resistance can also lead to more risks during surgeries in the event of antibiotic resistance.
Video – Antibiotic resistance: a phenomenon that kills more people than AIDS and malaria
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