2023-12-03 11:30:57
Professor Charles Cazanave, infectious disease specialist at Bordeaux University Hospital, directs the brand new regional center for antibiotic therapy, which covers the three University Hospitals of Nouvelle-Aquitaine: Bordeaux, Poitiers and Limoges. This brand new body, placed under the authority of the regional health agency, has a mission: to promote the proper use of antibiotics on a regional scale, to contribute to the fight against antibiotic resistance and to promote links between hospital medicine and medicine. city. “Today, antibiotic resistance is no longer just a threat, but a concrete fact,” begins Professor Cazanave…
Professor Charles Cazanave, infectious disease specialist at Bordeaux University Hospital, directs the brand new regional center for antibiotic therapy, which covers the three University Hospitals of Nouvelle-Aquitaine: Bordeaux, Poitiers and Limoges. This brand new body, placed under the authority of the regional health agency, has a mission: to promote the proper use of antibiotics on a regional scale, to contribute to the fight against antibiotic resistance and to promote links between hospital medicine and medicine. city. “Today, antibiotic resistance is no longer just a threat, but a concrete fact,” begins Professor Cazanave. This phenomenon causes 5,500 deaths in France each year. »
Antibiotic resistance is the other side of the coin: bacteria have built up an ability to resist our antibiotics. They have adapted to survive.
Professor Charles Cazanave, infectious diseases specialist at Bordeaux University Hospital, heads the regional antibiotic resistance center in Nouvelle-Aquitaine.
Thierry David/ “SOUTH WEST”
“Antibiotics are everywhere: we find them in wastewater, rivers, the animals we eat”
“We must observe the phenomenon globally, on the scale of the principle of One Health,” continues the Bordeaux doctor. It is not only because we overconsume antibiotics that resistance has set in, but also because antibiotics are everywhere: they are found in wastewater, rivers, and the animals we eat. Regulation by veterinarians has certainly begun, wastewater is increasingly controlled, but in any case, we still consume far too many antibiotics. And there we can act. »
Today, France displays an average consumption of antibiotics 25% above the rate of OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) data. Much more than the Nordic countries for example, which have fewer problems with antibiotic resistance.
An effective communication campaign
The vast majority of antibiotics are prescribed in town, by general practitioners and dentists in particular. “Our regional antibiotic therapy center works on information and training for caregivers,” continues Charles Cazanave, “we are reaching out to city doctors, pharmacists, and nurses to remind them of the essential rules. Not all infections warrant a prescription for antibiotics. Doctors must once again become reasonable in their prescriptions and patients in their requests. A cold takes several days to heal, without antibiotics for example. We encourage doctors and pharmacists to use rapid tests for angina, which can significantly reduce prescriptions. Before, for all tonsillitis, we gave an antibiotic. Thanks to this practice, we have already noticed a reduction in the resistance of certain bacteria, such as pneumococci, which cause pneumonia. »
To “educate” the general public, doctors rely on the effectiveness of large-scale communication campaigns. In 2002, a slogan hit the mark: “Antibiotics aren’t automatic!” » This health insurance spot was a hit when it was released and helped to really bring down the consumption of antibiotics, before it started to rise again a few years later.
“Then, we suffered the Covid pandemic in 2020,” recalls Professor Cazanave. The drop in antibiotic consumption was incredible, because of the confinements, people were sheltered, with very ingrained barrier gestures. Since then, consumption has continued to increase, year after year, and in a worrying manner. »
Some good gestures to know
The Ministry of Health has been proposing this winter, since December 1, a new campaign to fight against “this silent pandemic”. The slogan is less striking than that of 2002, but very clear: “Antibiotics: taking good care of yourself means first using them well”. All is said. Because the overconsumption of antibiotics promotes the emergence of resistant bacteria in all ecosystems, humans, animals, soil, water, compromising the effectiveness of treatments.
“It is a medication that is not insignificant, it exposes you to allergies and undesirable effects, with an impact on the microbiota in particular,” insists Professor Cazanave.
Each of us can already put a few basic principles in place. Respect the prescribed doses, dosing times and duration of treatments, even and especially if things get better. If there are any medications left in the box, return them to the pharmacist. “Avoid self-medication,” adds Professor Cazanave. Nothing more harmful. Never take an antibiotic without medical advice. I remind you that this is a medication that is not insignificant, it exposes you to allergies and undesirable effects, with an impact on the microbiota in particular. » The objective of mobilizing health authorities with regard to antibiotic resistance is to reduce consumption by 25% by 2025. Get to work!
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