PUTRAJAYA - The Health Ministry wants the public to be more aware about the proper usage of antibiotics to treat bacterial infection following growing trend of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in Malaysia.

Its minister Datuk Seri Dr S.Subramaniam said many people adopted the wrong attitude and misconception in using antibiotics to treat illnesses.

He said the scenario of misuse often came down to many people assuming every illness can be cured using antibiotics, patients asking doctors to treat them with antibiotics, doctors succumbing to patient’s pressure to treat with antibiotics, self-medication and buying off the pharmacy.

“Antibiotics should only be used when absolutely needed to treat specific bacteria.

“Public should not be treating themselves with antibiotics while doctors should not succumb into pressure to treat the bacteria with the antibiotics,” he said, adding that the growing AMR trend has become a public health concern today.

Statistics by the National Surveillance on Antibiotic Resistance revealed an increasing trend of Streptococcus pneumoniae to antibiotic eryhtromycin with resistance levels increased from 21 per cent in 2007 to 35.7 per cent in 2014.

While Acinetobacterbaumanii resistance to the antibiotic meropenem increased from 47.7 per cent in 2007 and 57.3 per cent in 2014, the statistic showed.

Source: New Straits Times