COPENHAGEN: Misuse of antibiotics is denting their efficacy and spawning resistant bacteria which could be responsible for 10 million deaths worldwide by 2050, the World Health Organization warned Thursday.
WHO’s European chapter conducted a study which showed that antibiotics were prescribed for things like common cold (24 percent of cases), flu-like symptoms (16 percent), a sore throat (21 percent) and a cough (18 percent).
The survey was carried out in 14 countries, mostly in Eastern Europe and Central Asia.
“While AMR (antimicrobial resistance) is a natural phenomenon, the development and spread of superbugs are being accelerated by the misuse of antimicrobials, rendering infections more challenging to treat effectively” a statement said.
The WHO’s European region comprises 53 countries, including several in Central Asia.
“All countries in our region have regulations in place to protect precious antibiotics from misuse... Enforcing these regulations would solve most antibiotic misuse,” Robb Butler, director of WHO Europe’s Division of Communicable Diseases, said in a statement.
WHO warned that without immediate intervention, resistance to antimicrobials — which includes antibiotics — could lead to up to 10 million deaths a year by 2050.
It cited incorrect prescription as a “cause for concern,” adding that in all the 14 countries, a third of the roughly 8,200 people surveyed had taken antibiotics without a medical prescription.
In some countries, over 40 percent of antibiotics were used without medical advice.
In contrast, an equivalent survey conducted in the European Union in 2022 showed that only eight percent of respondents took antibiotics without a prescription.
The WHO also noted that there were severe gaps in people’s knowledge about antibiotics, meaning they could be taking antibiotics for the wrong reason without realizing it.
“This research clearly shows the need for education and awareness raising,” Butler said.
WHO says misuse of antibiotics undermining efficacy
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WHO says misuse of antibiotics undermining efficacy
North Korea and China to resume passenger train service after six-year gap
- China’s railway authority said in a notice that Beijing-Pyongyang trains will operate four times a week
- The resumption from March 12 will “further promote China-North Korea travel, trade and economic cooperation”
SEOUL/BEIJING: Tickets for the first passenger train in six years from Beijing to North Korea’s capital, Pyongyang, were sold out ahead of its March 12 departure, an official ticketing office in Beijing said on Tuesday.
The resumption of the rail service, suspended since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, revives a critical transport link between the largely isolated North Korea and its primary economic ally.
Tickets for the journey — restricted to travelers holding business visas — were purchased by entrepreneurs, government officials and reporters, according to the Beijing ticketing office. Tickets were still available for the next service, scheduled for March 18.
NORTH KOREA STILL LARGELY CLOSED TO TOURISTS
China’s railway authority said in a notice that Beijing-Pyongyang trains will operate four times a week in both directions on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday while Dandong-Pyongyang trains will run daily.
The resumption from March 12 will “further promote China-North Korea travel, trade and economic cooperation, and people-to-people exchanges to enhance mutual well-being and friendship,” the notice said.
North Korea remains closed to most foreign tourism, with limited exceptions largely for Russian tour groups under restricted arrangements, according to travel agencies organizing trips to the country.
Before the pandemic, Chinese visitors made up the largest share of foreign tourists to North Korea, the agencies said. Tour organizers said on Monday that North Korea had canceled next month’s Pyongyang Marathon for unspecified reasons. The race is one of the few events that has been open to international participants in the isolated state.
