Antibiotic resistance is a major public health problem in Moldova, where antibiotics represent about 10% of the used drugs. The authorities call on the population and on health professionals and officials in charge from agriculture to use antibiotics very attentively and to become involved in fighting the phenomenon of antibiotic resistance, IPN reports.
In a news conference, Minister of Health, Labor and Social Protection Stela Grigoras said the people must realize that they should see a doctor when they have a health problem and should not take antibiotics without the doctor’s prescription. To combat the unjustified consumption of antibiotics, the order on the prescription and issuing of drugs was modified. Under this order, druggists cannot release antibiotics in the absence of a prescription.
About 440,000 new cases of multidrug resistant TB are annually recorded worldwide. Of these, 81,000 are reported in the European Region of the World Health Organization, including Moldova. Also, 380,000 Europeans annually catch infections with bacteria resistant to antibiotics, while 25,000 people annually die because the therapeutic treatment is not effective.
“Antibiotic resistance becomes a more spread global phenomenon, including in the European Region of the WHO, and is extremely relevant in the context of the Republic of Moldova. Thwart’s why the WHO will continue to assist the health authorities in addressing and preventing antimicrobial resistance, including multidrug resistant TB,” said the WHO Representative in Moldova Haris Hajrulahovic.
Antibiotics should be used with maximum prudence in animal breeding, pisciculture and agriculture. Owing to the excessive and incorrect use of these preparations, the resistant bacteria can spread to humans through infected products of animal origin.
For the third consecutive year, Moldova celebrates World Antibiotic Awareness Week, this year during November 13-19.
