Antibiotic use and antibiotic resistance in France: Preventing an infection saves an antibiotic!

The "One Health" approach to combating antibiotic resistance, promoted by the World Health Organization since 2015, encourages the integration of prevention efforts across human health, animal health, and the environment. Since antibiotics are a precious resource used to treat bacterial infections, it is urgent to implement the necessary measures to preserve them. In France, antibiotic consumption in human healthcare is no longer declining. In terms of resistance, some successes have been achieved (pneumococci, MRSA), but the rise in enterobacteria resistant to third-generation cephalosporins poses a challenge for the future. In animal health, the decrease in antibiotic use—linked to the efforts of professionals and, in part, to regulations—has been followed by a decrease in antibiotic resistance. The environment has recently been the subject of studies to assess its impact on the spread of antibiotic resistance. Whether in human or animal health, prevention is key to ensuring antibiotics remain effective: every infection prevented is an antibiotic saved! The European Antibiotic Awareness Day on November 18, 2018, is part of World Antibiotic Awareness Week and mobilizes all stakeholders: citizens, patients, human and animal health professionals, and decision-makers. To this end, since 2014, three national agencies—Santé publique France, the National Agency for Medicines and Health Products Safety (ANSM), the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety (ANSES)—as well as the French Health Insurance Fund and their respective ministries—have joined forces with their partners to jointly present key figures on antibiotic consumption and resistance from a global health (“One Health”) perspective. For the first time this year, the report addresses the role of the environment, in collaboration with the Inserm hospital-university team in Limoges and the Ministry for Ecological and Solidarity Transition. This 2018 edition also includes a section on the proper use of antibiotics, in collaboration with the French-speaking Society of Infectious Diseases (Spilf).

Author(s): Maugat Sylvie, Berger-Carbonne Anne

Publishing year: 2018

Pages: 11 p.

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