Antibiotic resistance on the rise
Increasingly, antibiotics are no longer effective because bacteria have become immune to them. The WHO has therefore declared a week of action on this topic from November 14 to 20.
Antibiotics are a successful and often the only weapon in the fight against bacterial infections. But cases in which they no longer work are increasing rapidly. The reason for this is that bacteria are increasingly immune to the active substances.
According to the WHO, the reasons for resistance can be found in various places. On the one hand, doctors prescribe antibiotics too quickly and uncritically, but patients are not innocent either. If they don't follow through with their treatment, the risk of resistance increases. Also partly to blame is the agricultural industry, which uses antibiotics prophylactically and as growth promoters in animal fattening.
The consequences can be serious: When antibiotics no longer work, bacterial infections suddenly become dangerous again. A simple bladder infection, for example, can be fatal, and tuberculosis once again becomes a life-threatening disease.
With the Week of Action against Antibiotic Resistance, the WHO now wants to draw attention to the dangers. The focus is on efforts against infections themselves, but also on educating doctors, patients and people involved in livestock farming and veterinary medicine.
National strategy
Switzerland is also active in this area: The national antibiotic resistance strategy (StAR) aims to ensure the effectiveness of antibiotics in the long term and to curb the development of resistance. It covers the fields of action surveillance, prevention, appropriate use of antibiotics, resistance control, research and development, cooperation, information and education, and framework conditions.
