Cyprus is among the countries of the European Union, with the highest consumption of antibiotics and the highest rates of antimicrobial resistance, it was reported on Friday at a press conference, at the Ministry of Health, in the context of the campaign for the Rational Use of Antibiotics and Antimicrobial Resistance.
On the occasion of the European Antibiotic Awareness Day, which is celebrated every year on November 18, the Ministry of Health is starting today a campaign on the Rational Use of Antibiotics and Microbial Resistance, with the aim of informing and raising awareness of the problem both among citizens and and health professionals.
In his greeting, during the conference, the Minister of Health, Michalis Damianos, said that "Cyprus, unfortunately, is among the European countries with the highest consumption of antibiotic drugs and the highest rates of microbial resistance", to note that "the microbial resistance is responsible for 35 thousand deaths in 2020, only in the European Union, while in the event of not taking effective measures it is estimated that antimicrobial resistance 2050 will be responsible for more deaths than cancer."
Mr. Damianos said that "the reckless and excessive use of antibiotics leads to the development of antimicrobial resistance, which is a major threat to public health with incalculable consequences", to note that "its result is the rise of infections from multi-resistant microorganisms, the increase of morbidity, the duration of hospitalization and the mortality of the patients with the consequent financial burden of the Health Systems".
According to the Minister of Health, "the judicious and responsible use of antibiotics can prevent the increasing microbial resistance", while "their correct use, avoiding their abuse and safeguarding their effectiveness is the responsibility of all of us".
He also stated that "citizens should not take antibiotics on their own initiative, but consult their personal doctor and follow his instructions, since their inappropriate use will not help them, on the contrary, it may cause side effects" .
He referred, at the same time, to health professionals, saying that "they have the responsibility for the rational use of antibiotics, the observance of infection prevention and control measures, as well as the promotion of preventive vaccinations, in order to ensure that antibiotics remain valuable and drastic".
As mentioned by Mr. Damianos, the Ministry of Health considering the issue of antibiotic resistance as a top priority, is in the process of drawing up and implementing a comprehensive National Action Plan, to deal with Microbial Resistance and Hospital Infections in the context of "Unified Health" in collaboration with other co-competent agencies .
He said that he has implemented and launched a number of actions such as the establishment of an Antibiotic Logistics Team and local infection control committees in public and private sector hospitals, the training program for infection control nurses and supervisors, which is ongoing, the organization of a training seminar for Antibiotic Logistics Teams Drive – AMS in Cyprus, as part of our participation in EU-JAMRAI-2 in February 2025, the preparation of Clinical Guidelines (CGUs), concerning the prevention and control of infections in health care facilities and the design and creation of an electronic platform for the surveillance of hospital consumption of antibiotics and hospital infections .
Emphasizing the importance of the correct and appropriate use of antibiotics in dealing with antimicrobial resistance, the representative of the Epidemiological Surveillance & Control of Infectious Diseases Unit of the Medical Services of the Ministry of Health, Dr. Linos Hatzihannas, said that the European Commission has recognized antimicrobial resistance "as a of the most serious threats to public health".
As he stated "globally, an estimated 700.000 people die each year from infections caused by multidrug-resistant microbes", to add that "in the EU/EEA there are over 670.000 infections / year from multidrug-resistant microbes, with the number of associated deaths amounting to to 33 thousand per year.
Dr. Hatzihannas also mentioned that the World Bank warns that by 2050 infections from multi-resistant pathogens could cause a global economic problem, similar to that of the 2008 financial crisis.
Besides, Mr. Hadjihannas mentioned the creation of an electronic platform for the surveillance of hospital consumption of antibiotics and hospital infections.
He mentioned that the creation of the platform will be done with funding from the EU Recovery and Resilience Program, while its operation is expected until the end of 2025
He explained that data will be registered on the platform at the hospital level, while data analysis will be allowed both at the local level (hospital) and at the central level (Ministry of Health).
