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National Report Card Reveals Antibiotic Resistance and Antibiotic Prescriptions on The Rise |
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Written by Wire Services
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Thursday, 02 March 2006 |
The annual National Report Card on Antibiotic Resistance was released today (Thursday) wuith data that indicates that while some rates of antibiotic resistance are stabilizing in Canada, others continue to rise. The rate of antibiotic prescriptions has also increased.
A new consumer survey indicates that serious misconceptions remain among Canadians about the appropriate use of antibiotics. Bacteria can grow resistant to antibiotics because of the overuse or inappropriate use of these medicines, resulting in what is commonly known as antibiotic resistance.
While rates for penicillin-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae (also called Strep pneumo) have stabilized over the past five years, researchers are now more concerned about other classes of antibiotics including the macrolides which are commonly used to treat respiratory infections in children and adults. Rates for macrolide-resistant Strep pneumo have increased steadily since 1999. Strep pneumo resistance to a commonly-prescribed macrolide called erythromycin rose to 19.3 percent in 2005, up from 18 percent in 2004. In 1999, macrolide resistance in Canada was less than 10 percent.
Strep pneumo is the leading infectious cause of disease and death worldwide and the most common bacterial cause of community-acquired infections such as bronchitis, sinusitis and pneumonia. It is also responsible for most cases of middle ear infections and bacterial meningitis in children. Each year in Canada, Strep pneumo accounts for 12,500 cases of pneumonia requiring hospitalization.
The Report also raises concerns about the increase in the overall rate of antibiotic prescriptions from 61.9 prescriptions per 100 Canadians in 2004 to 63.5 in 2005, an increase of almost 3 percent.
Inappropriate prescribing and improper use of antibiotics will promote antibiotic resistance. Experts are urging physicians, pharmacists and patients to be more vigilant about the use of antibiotics in an concerted effort to curb antibiotic resistence.
Survey results further show that Canadian consumers continue to show considerable confusion about how antibiotics work and how they should be used. Although 85 percent of those surveyed agree that antibiotics are useful for the treatment of bacterial infections, 53 percent mistakenly believe they are useful for the treatment of viral infections. Moreover, only 27 percent claimed they clearly understand the difference between viral and bacterial infections and almost half incorrectly agree with the statement that "antibiotics will be a part of the defence against a global flu pandemic".
The most alarming data shows that 63 percent of Canadians believe that by rarely using antibiotics or by using them only as prescribed, one can avoid getting infections that are resistant to antibiotics. This indicates that a majority of Canadians fail to understand that anyone can acquire an antibiotic- resistant infection, since it is bacteria, and not people, that become resistant to antibiotics.
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