National strategy for the containment of antibiotic resistance
The increase in antibiotic resistance poses major challenges to public health. Federal Councillors Alain Berset and Johann Schneider-Ammann have therefore had a national strategy against antibiotic resistance drawn up. The primary goal is to maintain the effectiveness of antibiotics for humans and animals in the long term. Stakeholders were involved in the drafting process; the draft strategy is now going out to consultation.
The development of antibiotics is one of the most significant advances in medicine. Thanks to these drugs, it is possible to cure dangerous diseases such as pneumonia or blood poisoning, which were often fatal in the past. However, the excessive and sometimes improper use of antibiotics has led to more and more bacteria becoming resistant to them. The increase in resistance to important antibiotic groups and the rise in multi-resistant germs are particularly worrying.
The problem of increasing antibiotic resistance affects human medicine as well as veterinary medicine and agriculture and can only be solved jointly and across all sectors. The Federal Council has therefore included the fight against resistance in the health policy priorities of the "Health 2020" recorded.
On behalf of Federal Councillor Alain Berset and Federal Councillor Johann Schneider-Ammann, the three Federal Offices of Public Health FOPH, Food Safety and Veterinary Office FSVO and Agriculture FOAG, with the participation of the Federal Office for the Environment FOEN, have drawn up a broad-based national strategy. The draft strategy shows in detail where action is needed, which goals are to be achieved and which key measures are necessary.
A central measure is the interdisciplinary monitoring of the resistance situation and antibiotic consumption in human medicine, veterinary medicine, agriculture and the environment. To this end, existing gaps are to be closed and the monitoring results published in a joint report.
To maintain the effectiveness of antibiotics in the longer term, prevention should be improved. The more infectious diseases are prevented, the fewer antibiotics need to be used for therapy. Infections can be prevented, for example, through the consistent implementation of hygiene measures in hospitals and in the care sector or with optimized animal husbandry in the agricultural sector.
It should also be avoided that antibiotics are used inappropriately. For example, respiratory tract infections are often primarily viral in nature, yet antibiotics are used without necessity. In order to reduce the inappropriate use of these drugs, new diagnostic methods should be developed to help distinguish quickly and clearly between bacterial and viral diseases. In addition, binding guidelines on the prescription, dispensing and use of antibiotics should help to reduce the consumption of antibiotics.
Another central element of the antibiotic resistance strategy is the increased sensitization and further training of experts and the provision of information to the general public. The aim is to provide comprehensible and transparent information about the effects of antibiotics and their correct use.
The containment of antibiotic resistance requires the commitment of all stakeholders. The most important actors and interest groups (cantons, professional societies, expert groups, industry, sectors and associations, etc.) were therefore involved in the development of the strategy from the outset. They will later assume an important role in the implementation of the strategy.
The Federal Department of Home Affairs FDHA and the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research EAER are sending the draft strategy to the cantons and interested parties for comment by March 15, 2015.
