The Maltese show the EU’s sharpest drop in unnecessary antibiotic use but are still the most likely to take them when they do not need to, a new study has found.
A review of Europeans’ antimicrobial resistance published by the European Commission this week found that nearly half of Maltese last spring were still using antibiotics to treat symptoms and ailments that the medication could not cure, such as sore throats, the flu and even headaches.
Last year the government embarked on an effort to encourage doctors to stop prescribing antibiotics inappropriately, launching an information campaign and setting new guidelines.
And this week’s report, which compares member states’ scores in April with 2013’s, confirmed that the campaign had had an impact. But while incorrect use dropped by 12 per cent in the past three years – the largest decrease across the EU – the Maltese were still using them at “high” rates.
The high use of antibiotics could exacerbate the already high incidence of asthma and obesity
Last March, Michael Borg, the head of the National Antibiotic Committee, said that Malta still had the largest proportion of people in the EU who were being prescribed antibiotics by medical professionals. In a stern warning, Prof. Borg told the Times of Malta that the high use of antibiotics could exacerbate the already high incidence of asthma and obesity, among other conditions common on the island.
According to the Commission’s report, women were more likely to use antibiotics than men, and the less educated, as well as those who could not afford prolonged stretches off work, were also using high levels of the medication in the hope of getting over bouts of sickness quicker.
Interestingly, while four of every five Europeans knew that taking antibiotics unnecessarily made them less effective in the long run, less than half knew when it was inadvisable to take them.
Even though the Maltese were among the most likely to know that incorrect antibiotic use lowered their efficacy, they were not the best informed as to what correct use actually was. They were the most likely to think antibiotics could be used to treat viruses, with two-thirds thinking this effective – even though it is not the case.
Perhaps the reason for our poor understanding is that only a quarter of Maltese consult a doctor on how to use antibiotics before use – preferring to turn to online sources for medical information, as well as television and radio advertising. This is in spite of the fact that 92 per cent trust their doctor’s advice without question.