As WHO ramps up its fight against
antibiotic resistance, a new multi-country survey shows people are confused
about this major threat to public health and do not understand how to prevent
it from growing.
Antibiotic resistance happens when
bacteria change and become resistant to the antibiotics used to treat the
infections they cause. Over-use and misuse of antibiotics increase the
development of resistant bacteria, and this survey points out some of the
practices, gaps in understanding and misconceptions which contribute to this
phenomenon.
Almost two thirds (64%) of some 10 000
people who were surveyed across 12 countries say they know antibiotic
resistance is an issue that could affect them and their families, but how it
affects them and what they can do to address it are not well understood. For
example, 64% of respondents believe antibiotics can be used to treat colds and
flu, despite the fact that antibiotics have no impact on viruses. Close to one
third (32%) of people surveyed believe they should stop taking antibiotics when
they feel better, rather than completing the prescribed course of treatment.
“The rise of antibiotic resistance is a
global health crisis, and governments now recognize it as one of the greatest
challenges for public health today. It is reaching dangerously high levels in
all parts of the world,” says Dr Margaret Chan, WHO Director-General, in
launching the survey findings today. “Antibiotic resistance is compromising our
ability to treat infectious diseases and undermining many advances in
medicine.”
The survey findings coincide with the
launch of a new WHO campaign ‘Antibiotics: Handle with care’—a global
initiative to improve understanding of the problem and change the way
antibiotics are used.
“The findings of this survey point to the
urgent need to improve understanding around antibiotic resistance,” says Dr
Keiji Fukuda, Special Representative of the Director-General for Antimicrobial
Resistance. “This campaign is just one of the ways we are working with
governments, health authorities and other partners to reduce antibiotic
resistance. One of the biggest health challenges of the 21st century will
require global behaviour change by individuals and societies.”
The multi-country survey included 14
questions on the use of antibiotics, knowledge of antibiotics and of antibiotic
resistance, and used a mix of online and face-to-face interviews. It was
conducted in 12 countries: Barbados, China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Mexico,
Nigeria, Russian Federation, Serbia, South Africa, Sudan and Viet Nam. While
not claiming to be exhaustive, this and other surveys will help WHO and
partners to determine the key gaps in public understanding of the problem and
misconceptions about how to use antibiotics to be addressed through the
campaign.
Some common misconceptions revealed by the survey include:
·
Three quarters (76%) of respondents think that antibiotic resistance
happens when the body becomes resistant to antibiotics. In fact bacteria—not
humans or animals—become resistant to antibiotics and their spread causes
hard-to-treat infections.
·
Two thirds (66%) of respondents believe that individuals are not at risk of
a drug-resistant infection if they personally take their antibiotics as
prescribed. Nearly half (44%) of people surveyed think antibiotic resistance is
only a problem for people who take antibiotics regularly. In fact, anyone, of
any age, in any country can get an antibiotic-resistant infection.
·
More than half (57%) of respondents feel there is not much they can do to
stop antibiotic resistance, while nearly two thirds (64%) believe medical
experts will solve the problem before it becomes too serious.
Another key finding of the survey was that
almost three quarters (73%) of respondents say farmers should give fewer
antibiotics to food-producing animals.
To address this growing problem, a global
action plan to tackle antimicrobial resistance was endorsed at the World Health
Assembly in May 2015. One of the plan’s 5 objectives is to improve awareness
and understanding of antibiotic resistance through effective communication,
education and training.
Key findings of the survey by country
Barbados (507 face-to-face interviews)
Only 35% of respondents say they have
taken antibiotics within the past 6 months—the lowest proportion of any country
included in the survey; of those who have taken antibiotics, 91% say they were
prescribed or provided by a doctor or nurse.
Fewer than half of respondents (43%) have
heard of the term ‘antibiotic resistance’; and fewer than half (46%)—less than
any other country in the survey—believe that many infections are becoming
increasingly resistant to treatment by antibiotics.
Only 27% of respondents agree with the
statements ‘Antibiotic resistance is one of the biggest problems the world
faces’ and that ‘Experts will solve the problem’—the lowest proportion of all
participating countries for both questions.
China (1,002 online interviews)
57% of respondents report taking
antibiotics within the past 6 months; 74% say they were prescribed or provided
by a doctor or nurse; 5% say they purchased them on the internet.
More than half (53%) of respondents
wrongly believe that they should stop taking antibiotics when they feel better,
rather than taking the full course as directed.
61% of respondents think, incorrectly,
that colds and flu can be treated by antibiotics.
Two thirds (67%) of respondents are
familiar with the term ‘antibiotic resistance’ and three quarters (75%) say it
is ‘one of the biggest problems in the world’.
83% of respondents say that farmers should
give fewer antibiotics to animals—the highest proportion of any country in the
survey.
Egypt (511 face-to-face interviews)
More than three quarters (76%) of
respondents say they have taken antibiotics within the past 6 months, and 72%
say they were prescribed or provided by a doctor or nurse.
55% of respondents incorrectly think that
they should stop taking antibiotics when they feel better, rather than taking
the full course; and more than three quarters (76%) wrongly believe that
antibiotics can be used to treat colds and flu.
Less than one quarter (22%) of respondents
have heard of the term ‘antibiotic resistance’—the lowest proportion of any
country included in the survey.
India (1,023 online interviews)
More than three quarters (76%) of
respondents report having taken antibiotics within the past 6 months; 90% say
they were prescribed or provided by a doctor or nurse.
Three quarters (75%) of respondents think,
incorrectly, that colds and flu can be treated with antibiotics; and only 58%
know that they should stop taking antibiotics only when they finish the course
as directed.
While 75% agree that antibiotic resistance
is one of the biggest problems in the world, 72% of respondents believe experts
will solve the problem before it becomes too serious.
Indonesia (1,027 online interviews)
Two thirds (66%) of respondents report
having taken antibiotics in the past 6 months; 83% of respondents say they were
prescribed or provided by a doctor or nurse.
More than three quarters (76%) of
respondents know that they should only stop taking antibiotics when they have
taken all of them as directed, but 63% incorrectly think they can be used to
treat colds and flu.
84% of respondents are familiar with the
term ‘antibiotic resistance’ and two thirds (67%) believe that many infections
are becoming increasingly resistant to treatment by antibiotics.
Mexico (1,001 online interviews)
Three quarters (75%) of respondents report
having taken antibiotics within the past 6 months; 92% say they were prescribed
by a doctor or nurse; and 97% say they got them from a pharmacy or medical
store.
The majority of respondents (83%)
accurately identify that bladder/urinary tract infections (UTIs) can be treated
with antibiotics, but 61% wrongly believe that colds and flu can be treated
with antibiotics.
89% of respondents in Mexico say they have
heard of the term ‘antibiotic resistance’ and 84% believe many infections are
becoming increasingly resistant to treatment by antibiotics—a higher proportion
than any other country included in the survey on both questions.
Nigeria (664 face-to-face interviews)
Almost three quarters (73%) of respondents
report taking antibiotics within the past 6 months; 75% of respondents state
they were prescribed or provided by a doctor or nurse; 5% say they bought them
from a stall or hawker.
More respondents in Nigeria than any other
country included in the survey correctly identify that antibiotics do not work
for colds and flu (47%), however 44% of respondents think they do.
Only 38% of respondents have heard of the
term ‘antibiotic resistance’—the second lowest proportion of all the countries
surveyed.
Russian Federation (1,007 online interviews)
A little more than half of respondents
(56%) report having taken antibiotics within the past 6 months; the same
proportion (56%) say their most recent course of antibiotics was prescribed or
provided by a doctor or nurse—the lowest proportion of any country included in
the survey.
Two thirds (67%) of respondents
incorrectly think colds and flu can be treated with antibiotics, and more than
one quarter (26%) think they should stop taking antibiotics when they feel
better rather than taking the full course as directed.
Awareness of the term ‘antibiotic
resistance’ was high among respondents at 82%.
71% think antibiotics are widely used in
agriculture in their country and 81% say that farmers should give fewer
antibiotics to animals.
Serbia (510 face-to-face interviews)
Fewer than half (48%) of respondents say
they have taken antibiotics within the past 6 months; 81% say they were
prescribed or provided by a doctor or nurse.
The majority of respondents (83%)
accurately identify that bladder infections/UTIs can be treated with
antibiotics, but more than two thirds (68%) wrongly believe that colds and flu
can be treated with antibiotics.
Only 60% of respondents in Serbia have
heard of the term ‘antibiotic resistance’ and only one third (33%) think it is
one of the biggest problems the world faces.
81% of respondents say that farmers should
give fewer antibiotics to animals.
South Africa (1,002 online interviews)
65% of respondents say they have taken
antibiotics within the past 6 months; a higher proportion of people than any
other country included in the survey (93%) say their last course of antibiotics
was prescribed or provided by a doctor or nurse, and 95% say they had advice
from a medical professional on how to take them.
87% of respondents know they should only
stop taking antibiotics when they finish the course of treatment—a higher
proportion than any other country included in the survey.
The same proportion (87%) of
respondents—and again more than any other country in the survey—recognize that
the statement ‘It’s OK to use antibiotics that were given to a friend of family
member, as long as they were used to treat the same illness’ is false. It is a
practice which can encourage the development of resistance.
Sudan (518 face-to-face interviews)
More than three quarters (76%) of
respondents report having taken antibiotics within the past 6 months; 91% say
they were prescribed or provided by a doctor or nurse.
62% of respondents incorrectly think they
should stop taking antibiotics when they feel better—more than any other
country included in the survey—and 80% think antibiotics can be used to treat
colds and flu. Both of these statements are incorrect. These are practices
which encourage the development of antibiotic resistance.
94% of respondents agree that people
should use antibiotics only when prescribed, and 79% believe that antibiotic
resistance is one of the biggest problems the world faces—the highest
percentages on both questions of any of the countries where the survey was undertaken.
Viet Nam (1,000 online interviews)
71% of respondents state they have taken
antibiotics within the past 6 months; three quarters (75%) report they were
prescribed or provided by a doctor or nurse.
86% of respondents think that the body
becomes resistant to antibiotics (whereas in fact it is bacteria)—a higher
proportion than any other country included in the survey.
83% think that many infections are
becoming increasingly resistant to antibiotics.
70% of respondents think that antibiotics
are widely used in agriculture in their country and almost three quarters (74%)
agree that ‘antibiotic resistance is one of the biggest problems the world
faces’.
Notes to editors
About the survey
The multi-country survey was limited to 2 countries
per WHO Region, 12 countries overall. Data cannot be considered to be
representative of each Region, nor of the global situation. Fieldwork was
carried out by research agency 2CV between 14 September and 16 October 2015. A
total of 9772 respondents completed the 14 question survey either online or
during a face-to-face street interview.Document with key findings: Multi-Country Public Awareness Survey on Antibiotic Resistance
About the ‘Antibiotics: Handle with care’ campaign
WHO is launching a global campaign,
‘Antibiotics: Handle with care’, during the first World Antibiotic Awareness
Week, 16-22 November 2015. The aim of the campaign is to raise awareness and
encourage best practices among the public, policymakers, health and agriculture
professionals to avoid the further emergence and spread of antibiotic
resistance. For more information and to download campaign materials: World Antibiotic Awareness Week
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