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Public urged to stay vigilant against antibiotic resistance and use antibiotics properly
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     ​The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) today (April 13) published the report on General Public's Knowledge, Attitude and Practice Survey on Antibiotic Resistance 2022 (the Survey), and urged members of the public to be better equipped with knowledge of using antibiotics appropriately.

     Antibiotic resistance is an imminent public health issue. According to the results of the latest Survey of the CHP, less than half of the respondents (49.7 per cent) correctly answered that cold and flu should not be treated by antibiotics, while only 44.1 per cent of respondents were aware that bacteria resistant to antibiotics can be spread from person to person. Additionally, only about one-fifth of the respondents (20.6 per cent) noticed the health advice on antibiotics medicine bags, which include:
 
  • Practise frequent hand hygiene;
  • Eat or drink only thoroughly cooked and boiled items;
  • Disinfect and cover wounds;
  • Wear mask when patients have respiratory symptoms; and
  • Young children with illness should minimise contact with other children.

     The Survey also revealed that when a doctor's initial assessment indicated that antibiotics are not needed, the vast majority of respondents (96.4 per cent) would accept the doctor's advice to observe for a few more days or to wait for the diagnostic test result before deciding whether to prescribe antibiotics or not. More than half (66.3 per cent) of the respondents replied that they wanted doctors to share decision making with them on antibiotics prescription.
 
     In terms of awareness on food safety, less than half of the respondents (42.7 per cent) correctly understood that raw or undercooked ready-to-eat (RTE) foods such as salad and sashimi were more easily contaminated by drug-resistant bacteria than cooked food, with the younger respondents showing an even lower rate (32.7 per cent) of correct understanding.

     In addition, a rising trend of antibiotic-resistant bacteria has been detected in RTE foods as revealed by surveillance data in recent years. According to surveillance data collected in 2021/22 from a consultancy service commissioned by the CHP, the proportion of Extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (ESBL-E) (a type of resistant bacteria) increased from 5.9 per cent in 2018/19 to 9.5 per cent among RTE food samples, especially in sashimi, siu mei and lo mei which showed increase in ESBL-E proportion of 5.5 per cent, 7.7 per cent and 35.0 per cent respectively. Moreover, under the Hong Kong Strategy and Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance, the Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department has conducted the Pilot Survey for Antimicrobial Resistance Microorganisms (AMR) in Food in Hong Kong in 2019-20, in which raw meat and RTE food samples were collected for testing of AMR bacteria. In the food surveillance of the CFS, the meropenem-resistant organism (MRO) was found to increase from 1.6 per cent in 2019/20 to 2.5 per cent in 2022 among the RTE food samples. One positive sample of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE) was also found in 2022. The CFS recommends maintaining good food, personal and environmental hygiene and following the Five Keys to Food Safety when handling food to reduce the chance of food being contaminated by antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

     In light of these findings, a spokesman for the CHP urged members of the public to join the fight against antibiotic resistance by observing the following advice:
 
  • Take adequate rest and drink plenty of water when having a cold or flu. If symptoms persist, consult a doctor and do not buy antibiotics without prescription at community pharmacies;
  • Adopt appropriate infection control measures such as practising frequent hand hygiene, wearing a surgical mask when having respiratory symptoms, and disinfecting and covering all wounds properly to prevent person-to-person spread of resistant bacteria when taking antibiotics; and
  • Be aware of the risk of acquiring resistant bacteria from RTE food. People taking antibiotics or antacids, and susceptible populations (such as pregnant women, infants and young children, the elderly and people with weakened immunity) are of higher risk and should therefore avoid eating raw and undercooked RTE foods.

     The CHP will continue to work with doctors to enhance the education on appropriate use of antibiotics and to remind patients about health advice on medicine bags. For details of the survey report and other information about antimicrobial resistance, please visit the CHP thematic website and the CHP Facebook Page.
 
Ends/Thursday, April 13, 2023
Issued at HKT 16:25
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