DH reminds public to use antibiotics properly in support of World Antimicrobial Resistance Awareness Week
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The World Health Organization (WHO) has designated November 18 to 24 every year as World Antimicrobial Resistance Awareness Week. This year's theme is "Act Now: Protect Our Present, Secure Our Future".
"AMR is one of the world's most serious public health challenges. When bacteria and viruses develop resistance, infections become harder to treat or even untreatable. In 2021, about 4.71 million deaths worldwide were associated with drug-resistant bacteria. If we fail to act, this figure is projected to rise to 8.22 million deaths annually by 2050. The WHO estimates that between 2020 and 2030, 18 433 deaths in Hong Kong will be AMR-related. To help the public better understand the affected lives behind these statistics, the CHP produced a video featuring a local survivor sharing his personal experience of how AMR nearly cost him his life. This highlights that AMR is not a distant global issue, but a threat that could affect anyone," said the Consultant (Antimicrobial Resistance) of the Centre for Health Protection (CHP), Dr Edmond Ma.
Updating antimicrobial guidelines for doctors' reference
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The Government will continue to implement the Action Plan comprehensively to integrate human, animal, and environmental health efforts under the One Health framework.
"In June this year, the CHP launched the sixth edition of the IMPACT guidelines, which provide recommendations on prescriptions for different infections, serving as a reference for all doctors in Hong Kong when prescribing antimicrobial drugs to inpatients. The CHP also promoted appropriate prescribing practices in line with the IMPACT guidelines through a professional forum and a letter to doctors. The corresponding mobile application (September 2025 version) is now available on both iOS and Android platforms for the convenience of medical professionals," said Dr Ma.
He noted that Antimicrobial Stewardship Programmes have been implemented across public and private hospitals. The latest surveillance data reflected an improvement in prescribing practices. The proportion of antimicrobials in the Watch category (i.e. antimicrobials considered by the WHO to be at a higher risk of developing drug resistance) in the total supply of antimicrobials in Hong Kong decreased from 40.3 per cent in 2016 to 34.6 per cent in 2024. This indicated that doctors were prescribing fewer broad-spectrum antibiotics, which helped address the issue of AMR.
Strengthening crackdown on illegal sale of antimicrobials
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To safeguard antimicrobial efficacy, the DH has stepped up efforts in combating the illegal sale of antimicrobials. According to the surveillance data, the wholesale supply of antimicrobials to community pharmacies has steadily decreased from 18.5 per cent in 2016 to 3.4 per cent in 2024. Furthermore, through the CHP's ongoing public education initiatives, public awareness of AMR has improved. According to the survey conducted by the CHP in 2024, 70.9 per cent of the public are aware of the term "antibiotic resistance", and the vast majority of respondents (96.3 per cent) indicated that their last course of antibiotics was prescribed by a doctor, reflecting an increased awareness of proper medicine use. Moreover, elderly respondents showed improved knowledge about drug resistance, showing the effectiveness of the publicity efforts.
Nevertheless, the survey also found that approximately one-quarter of respondents (25.6 per cent) were unaware that consuming raw or undercooked food increases the risk of infection from microorganisms, including drug-resistant bacteria. Furthermore, a rising trend in drug-resistant bacteria has been detected in ready-to-eat foods (RTE). According to the data from tests commissioned by the CHP, the proportion of Extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (ESBL-E) (a type of drug-resistant bacteria) rose from 5.9 per cent in 2018/19 to 13.3 per cent in 2023/24 among RTE food samples. The increase was particularly pronounced in RTE vegetables (36.7 per cent), lo mei (20.0 per cent), pre-cut fruits (16.3 per cent) and siu mei (14.3 per cent).
The CHP urged members of the public to work with healthcare professionals to eliminate AMR by observing the following:
- Antibiotics are effective only in treating bacterial infections, not viral infections such as influenza and COVID-19. When you have an upper respiratory tract infection, consult a doctor. Do not buy or consume antibiotics from community pharmacies on your own;
- Do not demand antibiotics from doctors. Only take antibiotics when advised by a doctor and complete the entire course of treatment, even if symptoms improve;
- Follow the health advice stated on the prescription bag and adopt appropriate infection control measures, such as maintaining hand hygiene, wearing a surgical mask when having respiratory symptoms, and disinfecting and covering all wounds properly to prevent person-to-person spread of drug-resistant bacteria when taking antibiotics;
- Receive seasonal influenza and COVID-19 vaccines to prevent secondary bacterial infections, thereby reducing the use of antibiotics and avoiding the occurrence of AMR;
- Be aware of the risk of acquiring drug-resistant bacteria from RTE food. People taking antibiotics or antacids, and high-risk populations (such as pregnant women, infants and young children, the elderly and people with weakened immunity) are at a higher risk and should avoid eating raw or undercooked RTE foods; and
- Observe good hygienic practices in the kitchen when handling food to minimise the risk of cross-contamination by drug-resistant bacteria.
To watch the video on the story of the AMR survivor, please visit the website. For more information on AMR, please visit the CHP thematic website and the CHP Facebook Page.
Ends/Tuesday, November 18, 2025
Issued at HKT 11:28
Issued at HKT 11:28
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