Over ten per cent of medicines used by Moldovans antibiotics

Chisinau, 18 November /MOLDPRES/ - The antibiotics account for  about 10 per cent of all number of medicines in Moldova. Health, Labour and Social Protection Minister Viorica Dumbraveanu today made public data to this effect, in the context of the starting of the World Antimicrobial Awareness Week.   

At a news conference, the health minister said that the irrational use of antibiotics can create obstacles to the treatment of other diseases, causing complications or even deaths, especially against the background of a bad immune system. ‘’This is a major problem, of which everybody, the entire society and the authorities with powers in the sector should be aware. It is extremely necessary that we join efforts around the common goal to reduce the excessive use of antibiotics in people, animals or plants,’’ Dumbraveanu noted.  

At the same event, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) representative in Moldova, Igor Pokanevych, said that, during the pandemic, each citizen had an important role in managing the situation; yet, nobody must forget about the antimicrobial resistance, a real threat to the public health. ‘’ The correct and responsible use of antimicrobial preparations will allow the mankind benefit from their efficiency as much time as possible, so that there is capacity to prevent and treat infections now and for the next generations,’’ Pokanevych noted.     

This year, Moldova will mark the sixth World Antimicrobial Awareness Week. In the context, decision-makers will organize nationally inter-sectoral activities of communication, informing and awareness-raising, jointly with state’s institutions, local public authorities, NGOs, which will include online conferences, webinars, public and individual discussions, radio and TV programmes.    

Specialists warn that the abusive use of antibiotics during the COVID-19 pandemic might lead to the spread of the antimicrobial resistance. COVID-19 is caused by a virus, not by a bacterium and therefore, antibiotics should not be used to prevent or treat viral infections, except for the case when the diseases would be triggered by bacteria. At the same time, in the lack of antibiotics, the carrying out of vital interventions would not be possible, such as the transplants of organs, chemotherapy in patients sick with cancer, intensive therapy in some severe cases, such as the treatment of bacterial diseases, which makes necessary the rational use of these preparations, in order to prevent the phenomenon of resistance to antimicrobial medicines.      

Statistics data shows that 700,000 people annually die in the world because of infections caused by bacteria resistant to antibiotics. The burden represented by the infections with bacteria resistant to antibiotics is comparable to the burden represented by the flu, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS together.  

Photo: MSMPS