The Ministry of Health has stressed the significance of a rational use of antibiotics adding that in Cyprus the issue is important, given the high consumption of antibiotics and increased rates of antimicrobial resistance.
In a press release on the occasion of the annual European Antibiotic Awareness Day (18 November), under the message ‘From Resistance to Resilience: health care workers leading the change’, the Ministry of Health stresses the critical importance of the rational use of antibiotics and strengthening the resilience of the health system.
Antimicrobial resistance, i.e. the ability of bacteria and other microorganisms to survive, despite the use of antibiotics, constitutes a significant threat to public health, as it makes the treatment of infections more difficult or even impossible, it notes.
In the European Union, the Ministry says, thousands of deaths are recorded annually due to infections from resistant microbes, adding that antibiotics are vital medicines, but their reckless or incorrect use drastically reduces their effectiveness.
In Cyprus, it stresses, there is high consumption of antibiotics and increased rates of microbial resistance.
Finally, the Ministry calls on the public to adopt a responsible behaviour, cooperate with the health system and support preventive actions.