Half of people in Ireland believe antibiotics kill viruses
Almost half of Irish people mistakenly believe that antibiotics kill viruses, according to an EU-wide study.
There have been repeated warnings that Irish people overuse antibiotics, with experts describing it as the greatest challenge to the health service.
The new research, ordered by the European Commission, found that 46 per cent of Irish people knew that antibiotics should not be used to treat common viruses, down from 57 per cent in a similar poll conducted in 2016. It found that 48 per cent of Irish people believed that antibiotics killed viruses and 6 per cent did not know.
Only in seven out of the 28 EU member states did a majority provide the right answer to the Eurobarometer poll.
The study shows that there has been a positive evolution in the use of antibiotics: 32% of people said they had taken antibiotics in the last twelve months, compared to 40% in the 2009 survey. However, many of these antibiotics were taken unnecessarily: 20% of antibiotics were taken for flu or a cold and 7% took them without a medical prescription. 66% of the respondents know that antibiotics are of no use against colds, and 43% are aware that antibiotics are ineffective against viruses. Over two thirds of people would like to have more information about antibiotics.
In reaction to these figures, and on the occasion of the European Antibiotic Awareness Day Commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis said: “This Eurobarometer shows that more effort is needed to raise awareness and knowledge on antimicrobials among fellow citizens. Moreover, the latest estimates of 33 000 deaths per year in Europe due to antimicrobial resistance must serve as a wake-up call to us all.
“Most of these deaths are avoidable by stopping the unnecessary use of antibiotics and through better diagnosis and prevention of infections in hospitals and communities. I call on everyone who has influence in the prevention and treatment of infection to redouble their efforts to combat the threat from antimicrobial resistance. On top of raising awareness and improving knowledge, we must join forces and tackle antimicrobial resistance from the animal health and environmental perspectives, as well as the human health angle. In a few days, the Council will give its green light for a new European legislation on veterinary medicines and medicated feed, a major breakthrough in this field.”
The results of the Eurobarometer and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) report were in Brussels at the European Antibiotic Awareness Day 2018 conference: “One Health to Keep Antibiotics working”.
Over the last 15 years, the EU has stood at the forefront of addressing antimicrobial resistance. Last year, a new and comprehensive EU action plan on antimicrobial resistance was adopted, setting the Commission’s objectives to tackle it in human health, animal health and environment policies.
An important milestone will be the forthcoming European legislation on veterinary medicines and medicated feed, which lays down a wide range of concrete measures to fight antimicrobial resistance and to promote the prudent and responsible use of antimicrobials.