Bulgaria is in first place in prescribing macrolide antibiotics in Europe.

The level of prescription of medication in our country is several times higher than in Western Europe.

This was said by Prof. Iva Hristova, Director of the Center for Infectious and Parasitic Diseases at a press conference on the occasion of the World Week dedicated to the awareness of the responsible use of antibiotics (November 18-24, 2022).

She gave the example of antibiotics being prescribed even during the covid-pandemic when it was banned except for hospital treatment.

Hristova cited the report of the European Center for Disease Control, according to which resistance to antibiotics for the treatment of pneumonia has risen by 17% and 50% of pneumonia strains are resistant.

"This means that resistance is increasing very quickly in our country. Therefore, there must be an electronic system and an electronic prescription to solve the problem," she said.

Antibiotics in Bulgaria are mainly prescribed in pre-hospital care.

Mihail Okoliyski, WHO representative for Bulgaria, added that in our country antibiotics are taken uncritically and without an antibiogram.

He asked to accept an e-prescription.

Okoliiski also cites statistics that against the background of covid - 80% of antibiotics should not have been taken.

He announced that a Plan for training GPs not to prescribe antibiotics is being prepared.

The WHO cannot encourage the creation of new ones, it takes years and is extremely expensive, Okoliiski pointed out.

And in Greece they drink a lot of antibiotics

Interesting facts were presented by Koicho Koev, director of the Center for Risk Assessment in the Food Chain.

He cited an EC strategy according to which our country undertakes to reduce the use of antibiotics for plants and animals.

He specified that they are given in animal husbandry for prevention, so in local and dairy products there are residual amounts of an antibiotic substance.

antibiotics