Romanians have the highest ratio of antibiotic use without a prescription than any other Europeans, found a recent European survey. Recent Eurobarometer data about Romania, released during the Antibiotics Awareness Day earlier in November shows that around half of Romanians – 47 percent – took oral antibiotics in the last year, which ranks Romania second in Europe. The average rate in Europe is of 35 percent.

Romania however came first in Europe on the ratio of people who buy antibiotics without a prescription – 18 percent, six times higher than the average rate of 3 percent.

By law, pharmacies in Romania are not allowed to sell antibiotics without a prescription from a doctor, but in reality, some pharmacists still sell them even without a prescription. The requirement of a prescription for buying antibiotics was introduced in 2005 in Romania, in an attempt to lower the antibiotics use.

Knowledge about antibiotics is also poor in Romania, where only 4 percent of the respondents knew the answers to all four questions in the Eurobarometer about the use of antibiotics. The majority of Romanians think antibiotics kill viruses – 70 percent, and a little over half believe antibiotics are an efficient cure for the flu. Only 58 percent of respondents – compared to the 84 percent European average – know that the frequent, uncalled for use of antibiotics renders them inefficient. Only 45 percent – a drop of 5 percent – know that diarrhoea is among the main adverse effects of antibiotics.

The European Antibiotic Awareness Day is an annual European public health initiative that takes place on November 18 to raise awareness about the threat to public health of antibiotic resistance and prudent antibiotic use. The latest data confirms that across the European Union the number of patients infected by resistant bacteria is increasing and that antibiotic resistance is a major threat to public health.

editor@romania-insider.com