The Department of Health has chosen this week’s World Antimicrobial Awareness Week to declare its opinion that the next world health crisis will probably be caused by the misuse of antibiotics.
Highlighting the danger of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), the Department said its web pages included guidance for health professionals, veterinarians, animal owners and the agricultural industry to use antibiotics wisely so they remained effective in treating serious disease.
It said everyone had a part to play.
“Follow your health professional’s instructions for prescribed antibiotics and return unused antibiotics to your pharmacist, who will dispose of them safely,” it said.
“Don’t use antibiotics prescribed for other people and don’t pressure your doctor for antibiotics if they say you don’t need them.
“Remember, antibiotics don’t work against viruses — they only work against particular bacteria in certain conditions.”
The Department said AMR occurred when some of the germs (bacteria, viruses, fungi, or parasites) that caused infections resisted the effects of the medicines used to treat them.
“Misuse and overuse of antimicrobials is a major factor in increasing the rate at which AMR is occurring,” it said.
“This is especially true in Australia, where we use lots of antibiotics.
“Australia is in the top 10 per cent per‐capita antibiotic consumption in the world, with almost half of Australians prescribed at least one course of antibiotics each year.”
The Department emphasised that an average of 290 Australians died each year due to infections from resistant bacteria.
“By 2050, an estimated total of 10,430 people will die in Australia every year due to AMR,” it said.
“Worldwide, this figure is expected to be 10 million.
“It’s a serious problem and one with the potential to develop into a global health crisis.
“The good news is that each one of us can act to slow down the rate of AMR by using our antibiotics appropriately,” the Department said.
