Spain
 APUA
- Spain was founded in 1996.
APUA Spain members
have participated in the Task Force of the Spanish Ministry of
Health on Antibiotic Resistance in Spain: What can be done? With
the English version in Clin Infect Dis 1996; 23: 819. Participation
in WHO Task Forces at the Directory of  Public
Health of the European Commission on meetings or at a national
level, APUA Spain members have been working since then for the
surveillance and control of antimicrobial resistance and for a
prudent use of antibiotics.
In October 19, 2006
the Spanish Ministry of Health, started a national campaign in
order to stop the misuse of antibiotics in Spain. The slogan:
"Keep antibiotics working: do not misuse them". The Spanish Minister
of Health at that moment, Elena Salgado, said "Antibiotic consumtion
overuse is a big problem of public health in Spain. The misuse
of antibiotics on viral infections, the high antibiotic resistance
and the important amount of antibiotics acquired at the pharmacy
offices as self medication (about 30%), are the cause of this
campaign", the most important one in the
last years, with a total cost of 6.4 million euros, and directed
to both, health related professionals and to the general public.
You will find this
information at: http://www.antibioticos.msc.es
Fortunately, during
2006 national authorities began to sponsor this educational challenge
of public health slowering selfmedication and leading to a better
and judicious conciousness. Future trends on antibiotic surveillance
and resistance control should be developed.
Future, interventions
directed towards slowing emergence of resistance and controlling
spread of resistant strains have to be followed in Spain by means
of :
- Surveillance of
the evolution on antibiotic resistance and antibiotic consumption
monitoring (EARSS and ESAC).
- Approach to veterinary
antibiotic use, legislation and regulation.
- Improve new guidelines
with recommendations to antibiotic use on adults and children,
with the sponsorship of the Scientific Societies and the Public
Health Department of the Ministry of Health.
- Antibiotics as only
prescription based drugs. Enforce the law (just physicians and
veterinaries may prescribe antibiotics), and stop antibiotic
self medication.
- National Co-operation
of the Health Authorities with international organizations as:
WHO, EC , ECDC, APUA, EMEA, DANMAP, etc.
2006
Campaign "Keep antibiotics working: do not misuse them".
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