“Use antibiotics responsibly” say HPA

Health Protection Agency's logo

Antibiotics don’t work on viral illnesses such as colds, flu and most coughs and sore throats and should not be prescribed for these ailments. Such inappropriate use of antibiotics is contributing to the growth of antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections that are extremely difficult to treat.

That is the message from HPA North West for European Antibiotic Awareness Day 2010. The Agency is promoting effective use of antibiotics and campaigning to discourage their inappropriate use.

A theme for Antibiotic Awareness Day this year is prudent use of antibiotics in hospitals to avoid illnesses such as Clostridium difficile (C.diff).

Kate Brierley, Consultant Nurse and HPA North West lead for Health Care Associated Infections (HCAIs), said: “If we continue to use antibiotics inappropriately they will lose effectiveness and we will have increasing problems with resistant bugs.

“We shouldn’t ask for antibiotics when we have viral illnesses such as coughs, colds or the flu because they don’t work for these conditions. Patients usually recover quite naturally from viral illnesses without any treatment other than rest and the taking of liquids to replace lost fluids.

“If symptoms are painful or unpleasant, local pharmacists will be able to recommend over-the-counter medications that will ease discomfort. However, these will not cure the underlying condition and it should be remembered that aspirin-based products should not be given to anyone under the age of 16.”

Ms. Brierley added that inappropriate use of antibiotics has been at least partly responsible for the emergence of drug-resistant infections, such as MRSA and that prescribing of broad-spectrum antibiotics has been a factor in the increase in Clostridium difficile infections of recent years.

“Responsible use of antibiotics will help reverse the trend towards antimicrobial resistance, which is why the HPA is keen to help health professionals improve their prescribing practice and to inform the public and carers of the sick, the elderly and children about when and how to take antibiotics responsibly,” she added.

“There is an onus on all of us to preserve the effectiveness of antibiotics into the future by encouraging their use is situations where they really will help the patient, but by being quite strong in refusing to prescribe them inappropriately.”