Use of antibiotics - only if necessary

Bern, 10. Spearheading the fight against antimicrobial resistance, the World Health Organization (WHO) launched its Antibiotic Awareness Week. Switzerland is joining the movement for the first time from 13 to 17 November 2017. Professionals and especially the wider public need to be aware that the consequences of antibiotic resistance are severe and on the rise. As part of the Swiss national Strategy on Antibiotic Resistance (StAR), experts from the fields of human and veterinary medicine, agriculture and the environment have been working since 2015 on measures to reduce the development of resistance. Key issues include the expansion of data collection, the drafting of prescription guidelines and measures to prevent infections to avoid the need for antibiotics in the first place. Careful use of antibiotics In human medicine, trends in antibiotic resistance have been recorded since 2004.