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Antibiotic consumption rose massively in the first year of the pandemic
A research team from the Department of Clinical Research at the Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Basel has observed an almost doubling of antibiotic prescriptions in 2020 as part of a study that has been running since 2017. As antibiotics are only effective against bacteria and not viruses, the researchers assume that the drug may have been prescribed more frequently to prevent bacterial complications.
As every administration of antibiotics ultimately increases the risk of resistant bacteria developing, research group leader Prof. Dr. Heiner Bucher calls for "suitable measures such as targeted information strategies to reduce unnecessary prescriptions and the risk of resistance". It is now important to see whether the development of resistance has also accelerated due to the change in prescribing practice. This is to be determined in collaboration with the Swiss Center for Antibiotic Resistance.
The group has published its findings in the journal "Clinical Microbiology and Infection". You can read the entire paper here.
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