As the flu season reaches its peak, billboards around Malta are instructing the public not to use antibiotics indiscriminately. However, the promotional boards located around Malta do not have an educational message.

Former health minister Godfrey Farrugia said the boards do not carry a clear message about the careful use of antibiotics, or the precautions that should be taken when one has a cold. Rather, the boards are just taking up space. "If used properly, antibiotics can save lives; it is self-prescribing antibiotics that is wrong. The public is not being adequately informed about this," Dr Farrugia said.

Dr Farrugia recalls one particular case of a young patient he treated.  "The boy had an inflamed throat, so I prescribed antibiotics. He was also running a high fever so I prescribed medicine for that too. Hours later, his mother told me that he had developed a skin rash, so I instructed her to take him to hospital. It later resulted that he was suffering from meningococcal meningitis and passed away within hours. Unfortunately, he had only taken one dose of antibiotics. The medicine could have saved him had it been prescribed earlier." Meningococcal meningitis can also be prevented with a vaccine.

In 2013, Malta had the most widespread use of antibiotics, according to a Eurobarometre survey. Between 2009 and 2013, Europeans registered a five per cent drop in consumption. Malta also registered a drop from 55 per cent to 48 per cent; however, at the same time, Malta moved from second place to first, meaning that other countries made more improvement. In 2008, the number of the estimated percentage of antibiotics sold without a prescription in local pharmacies reached 10 per cent. Greece, registered of 15 per cent of all antibiotics sold.

A worrying fact is most Maltese take antibiotics to treat symptoms rather than a disease. This trend is also seen in Sweden, Denmark and Portugal.

Antibiotics, also known as antibacterial, are types of medications that destroy or slow down the growth of bacteria. Antibiotics do not fight infections caused by viruses, such as colds, flu, coughs or sore throats, although research shows that 40 per cent of Europeans believe they do.

Antibiotic resistance is a serious threat to public health in Europe, leading to increased healthcare costs, prolonged hospital stays, treatment failures and sometimes death. If antibiotics are used too often for things they can't treat - like colds, flu or other viral infections - not only are they of no benefit, they become less effective against the bacteria they're intended to treat. In England, the highest rates of resistance were registered in places where the highest rate of antibiotics was prescribed. If the degree of resistance keeps on increasing at a steady rate, these vital medicines can become absolute. This is because the incorrect use of antibiotics allows bacteria to become stronger than many antibiotics. This resistance to last-line antibiotics is causing great concern in Europe. In 2013, the European Commission monitored resistance to colistin, an antibiotic used to treat Klessiella pneumoniae and other infections. Increasing resistance against colistin is serious cause for concern and a serious threat to patients' health.

Doctors are meant to follow a set of procedures when it comes to prescribing antibiotics; however it seems that not all doctors on the island follow these procedures.

A government spokesperson contacted said, "The Department of Health though its various entities regularly engages in health education campaigns. One of these campaigns, which for this year has been delivered via billboards and radio adverts, is aimed at highlighting the correct use of antibiotics. The campaign is ongoing and will be developed over the coming weeks."

 

"Billboards cannot be the only driver of the message. They need to be preceded by a widespread educational campaign on the ramifications of antimicrobial resistance. I believe that the best route for this campaign is the engagement of family doctors, nurses and allied healthcare professionals in Health Centres: these medical professionals are on the front-line and are the best medium to educate and instil a culture which does not see antibiotics as a quick fix," said PN's spokesperson Claudio Grech.

 

Is it a cold or bacterial infection?

Here are a few guidelines to judge whether your cold is something more serious

• You feel short of breath
• You have a fever higher than 102 degrees F (38.9 degrees Celsius)
• You have a sore throat and headache, but no runny nose or cough
• You have been sick between 10-14 days and are not getting better