THE ESSENTIAL
- In 2019, France was the fourth country in Europe that consumed the most antibiotics.
- Our use is almost 3 times higher than the countries which are the lowest consumers of antibiotics.
Following several alarmist reports, the Ministry of Solidarity and Health presented its “2022-2025 National Strategy for the Prevention of Infections and Antimicrobial Resistance“.
Resulting from the proposals of a committee made up of more than 100 members, with two working groups coordinated by the French hospital hygiene society (SF2H) and the national professional council for infectious and tropical diseases (CNP MIT), “the 2022-2025 national strategy for the prevention of infections and antibiotic resistance has ambitious objectives, with nine complementary axes broken down into 42 actions”, details the Ministry of Health.
Three main objectives
This plan has three main objectives:
-prevent common infections, such as bronchitis and gastroenteritis, through everyday actions and vaccination;
-reduce the risk of healthcare-associated infections, in particular nosocomial infections;
– preserve the effectiveness of antibiotics, “so that we can all continue to recover from bacterial infections that can affect us all one day, such as urinary tract infections”, explains the government.
The initial and continuing professional training of doctors on this new issue will thus be reinforced, with the provision of new tools. The goal is to reduce the consumption of antibiotics in the city by 25% by 2025. “This national strategy concerns us all, whether we are professionals in the health sector, patient or citizen”, added the Minister of Solidarity and Health Olivier Véran.
One of the greatest threats to humanity
The development of bacterial resistance to antibiotics is identified by the World Health Organization as one of the greatest threats to humanity. For several years now, it has been observed that common infections and those associated with care increasingly involve bacteria that have become resistant to antibiotics, complicating patient care and potentially increasing the risk of death. In 2015, 5,500 deaths in France were linked to antibiotic resistance.