Plan to fight antimicrobial resistance has to have teeth

Antibiotics is shown in this photo taken on Oct 20, 2011 in Yichang, central China's Hubei province. [Photo/IC]

Having warned that antimicrobial resistance is an increasingly serious threat to global public health, in 2015 the World Health Organization called on all countries to make joint efforts to tackle the problem by drawing up national action plans by 2017.

While antimicrobial resistance is a broad term－encompassing resistance to drugs to treat infections caused by parasites, viruses, and fungi－resistance to antibiotics used to treat infections caused by common bacteria is a major concern, since patients with infections caused by drug-resistant bacteria are generally at increased risk of worse clinical outcomes and death, and consume more healthcare resources than patients infected with the same bacteria that are not resistant.

An action plan to curb the overuse of antibiotics in China has long been overdue, given the fact that the country consumes half of the antibiotics worldwide. So the antimicrobial resistance plan released jointly by 14 central government departments on Thursday is to be welcomed, as effectively implementing it will reduce the prevalent misuse of antibiotics in this country.

With an increasing number of people becoming aware of antimicrobial resistance caused by the overuse of antibiotics, it should not be that difficult to check the abuse of antibiotics for ordinary illnesses that do not need treatment with antibiotics. And if the rules are strictly implemented, it should be possible to stop doctors from unnecessarily prescribing antibiotics just to make money.

Some healthcare departments have already taken action to prevent the overuse of antibiotics. For example, last year East China's Jiangsu province became the first province to issue a blanket ban on the use of intravenous antibiotics for outpatients. Other provinces are expected to follow its example.

What makes things more complicated, and which will be more difficult to control, is the use of antibiotics for food animals, since antibiotics also enter people's body through the food they eat.

A lot of work needs to be done to tighten the control on the use of antibiotics for raised food animals and aquatic products so that foods with antibiotic levels that are more than the permitted levels are prevented from entering the market.

In so doing, farmers and food producers will also develop a greater awareness that antibiotics must not be overused.

China's action plan is part of the global efforts to fight against anti-microbial resistance. Effective implementation of this plan can make a big contribute in this regard.

However, for it to be effective, the plan needs to be given teeth.