Antibiotics losing effect due to overuse

Antibiotics are having less effect on people in the Mediterranean region due to overuse of the drug, according to the head of the Infection Control Unit at St Luke's Hospital.

Michael Borg, who was recently elected president of the International Federation of Infection Control (IFIC), said people in the Mediterranean were much more likely to take antibiotics without a prescription than northern Europeans.

This is giving rise to worse infections among hospital patients - such as MRSA - since bacteria are becoming more resistant. He described the problem in the Mediterranean as "acute".

Dr Borg has conducted several research initiatives on this problem in the Mediterranean region and been invited to present his findings at several international conferences in the past year.

"There is no doubt that antibiotic consumption within Mediterranean countries is heavier than that in northern European countries.

"One reason for this, particularly in the community, is the use of antibiotics for viral infections such as colds and flu as well as the insistence of a significant number of people to pressure their pharmacist into providing antibiotics over the counter without doctor's prescription.

"It is everyone's duty, both healthcare professionals as well as the public to ensure that antibiotics are used judiciously. Otherwise the 'magic bullet' that has revolutionised the management of life threatening infections in the past 50 years may not remain magical for much longer," he warned.

Infection control professionals help reduce the occurrence of such infections by promoting practices that have been shown to diminish the spread of disease-causing microbes.

He insisted that foremost among these is hand hygiene but, unfortunately, studies worldwide have shown that healthcare workers do not always observe these strict practices.

Dr Borg said there are several reasons for this. Staff may be under pressure to cope with a demanding workload while within older hospitals sinks may be few and far between.

For this reason the emphasis is shifting towards using alcohol hand-rub products which do not need water and can be applied at the bedside, he said.

Dr Borg said there was nothing wrong with patients asking their nurses and doctors whether they have washed their hands before treating them.

"A polite reminder by the patient should not be seen as an affront by any healthcare worker. After all, our Hippocratic duty is 'First Do No Harm' and diligent hand hygiene after each and every patient contact is undoubtedly one of the most important yet simple things we should be doing to live up to this obligation."

IFIC, which Dr Borg now heads, is an international umbrella of organisations and associations of healthcare professionals working in infection control and related fields worldwide.

It encompasses more than 65 societies from 51 countries with a total membership in excess of 10,000.