Alexandru Rafila warns the population not to take antibiotics to prevent COVID-19 infection – News by sources



[ad_1]

Romania’s representative to the WHO, Alexandru Rafila, said on Thursday that the use of azithromycin had risen sharply, and that people were using antibiotics “indiscriminately” in an attempt to prevent infection with the new coronavirus or to treat COVID-19. .

Also read: The Orban government increases Romania’s debt to 47% of GDP. Budgeted salaries can be frozen at 50%

“Self-medication is at home at the moment. We are facing a very serious problem, because during this period, either as prophylaxis or as treatment, people who are trying to prevent infection by the new coronavirus or who have discovered that they are infected use The use of azithromycin has increased dramatically, and although azithromycin is prescribed as a drug that can be prescribed to some patients infected with the new coronavirus, indiscriminate use and self-medication are very serious. Antibiotics are generally prescribed only for bacterial infections , not for viral infections. Azithromycin, of course, with some effect on the new coronavirus, has been tried as a therapy, but this massive use is very dangerous because the effects are severe. ” , explained Rafila, during the debate “Raising awareness about the use of antibiotics during the COVID-19 pandemic”, organized by DC Med ia Group.

Alexandru Rafila, who is also a member of the Executive Committee of the World Health Organization, said that, in our country, the consumption of antibiotics, “after an apparent decrease”, has begun to register an increasing trend again. At the same time, antibiotics whose overuse is linked to the development of infections such as Clostridium difficile have the same upward trend.

“The differences between the north and the south of Europe, between the north and the east of Europe, are more and more pronounced and, as the use of antibiotics increases drastically in the continent in which we find ourselves, this consumption is obviously coupled and Now we have an opportunity as a country related to a project that we are doing in the National Institute of Infectious Diseases ‘Matei Balş’, in alliance with the National Institute of Public Health and with technical assistance from the World Health Organization. introduce good practice in prescribing antibiotics, especially in hospitals, where broad-spectrum antibiotics, reserve antibiotics, are often used as first intention, ”said Rafila.

He stressed that patients should not insist on obtaining antibiotics, drawing attention to the fact that their use in a viral infection is recommended only in case of an infectious bacterial complication.

“Do not insist on receiving an antibiotic! Family doctors know very well that when they go to the doctor, patients are usually quite demanding and want a certain medicine. Do not insist on getting an antibiotic at the pharmacy! Unfortunately, it is I would not say easy, but antibiotics can be obtained in the pharmacy, if you insist, or in certain pharmacies, “The fact that antibiotics do not treat anything, viral or parasitic infections. They can have unwanted effects and inappropriate use leads to a loss of quality of these products, “said Alexandru Rafila.



[ad_2]