Vietnam responds to World Antibiotic Awareness Week

Trung Kien 23:51, 2018/11/14

Vietnam needs to set up a number of laboratories to evaluate and test antibiotic susceptibility to advise clinicians on the use of medications.

A meeting aiming to raise awareness of the responsible use of antibiotics was held by the Ministry of Health (MOH) at the Medical University of Hanoi on November 13 as antibiotic resistance in the country is at an alarming level.

This is part of the United Nations’ World Antibiotic Awareness Week starting November 12 with the theme "Antibiotics: Handle with care" targeting the cautious use of antibiotics in livestock, aquaculture and agriculture.

Standing Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Viet Tien made speech at the meeting. Photo: Duong Ngoc

At the meeting, Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Viet Tien said that due to the rampant usage of antibiotics in both humans and animals, antibiotic resistance has become “one of the biggest challenges” to the global population and development.

Antibiotic resistance has undermined several advancements made in medicines and treatment, Tien said, adding that organ transplantation, surgeries and chemotherapy would pose even more risks to patients without effective antibiotics to prevent and treat infections.

In Vietnam, the Minister of Health has issued a National Action Plan on antibiotic resistance with the goal of making the community aware of the issue and learn to use it with care. In order to implement this plan, it is necessary for all concerned ministries and sectors to work together because it’s impossible for the MOH to carry it out alone, Tien stressed.

In recent years, antibiotic use has decreased, but not as expected. People tend to prescribe themselves with antibiotics when they get sick but unable to name the exact type of antibiotic to treat their sickness. This is extremely dangerous because what if the sickness does not require antibiotics for treatment, Tien said.

He emphasized that it is necessary to set up a number of laboratories to evaluate and test antibiotic susceptibility to advise clinicians on the use of medications.

Vietnam is one of the countries that has suffered from obvious drug resistance, therefore, the MOH has a specific action plan for this problem, and hopes that through World Antibiotic Awareness Week, people will be aware of the careful use of antibiotics, with the advice of the physician, Tien said.

Luong Ngoc Khue, director of the MOH's Department of Management and Treatment, said that while many developed countries are still using effective first-generation antibiotics, Vietnam has used third and fourth generation antibiotics. More worryingly, some types of virus that resist all antibiotics have been detected in Vietnam.

A survey of Cho Ray Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City warned that Vietnamese doctors are abusing antibiotics in treatment. Accordingly, about 50% of antibiotics were unreasonably prescribed by local doctors and physicians, 32% of doctors prescribed antibiotics for non-infectious patients, and 33% of doctors use prolonged and unnecessary antibiotics.

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