HELP ANTIBIOTICS HELP YOU
ARTERIUM INITIATES CAMPAIGN FOR RESPONSIBLE ANTIBIOTICS USE
March 24, 2021, Kyiv. According to the World Health Organization, bacterial resistance to antimicrobial drugs is one of the greatest threats to human health.
Arterium Corporation is concerned about the pace of development of this phenomenon and as a leader in the antibiotics segment in Ukraine,and understanding its social role together with doctors, has initiated an information campaign “Antibiotics by the rules”. Its goal is to teach Ukrainians how to receive proper treatment with antibiotics and reduce the irrational use of these drugs.
Antibiotics are a group of medicines that act exclusively on bacteria: they kill or complicate their growth and reproduction. Thanks to the invention of antibiotics, doctors have been able to cure many bacterial diseases, such as bacterial pneumonia and diphtheria, which were previously fatal.
Irrational use of these drugs and self-medication leads to antibiotic resistance – a phenomenon where bacteria create defence mechanisms and, as a result, antibiotics cannot cure the infection. Antibiotic resistance was found five years after the start of the wide usage of these drugs, but due to the chaotic intake of antibiotics resistant bacteria developed at a rapid pace. If nothing is changed, scientists predict that in 2050 up to 10 million people could die each year from infections caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
As part of the information campaign “Antibiotics according to the rules”, the website antibacterium.com.uawas launched, where verified and up-to-date information about antibiotics, their importance and rules of treatment has been collected. This is a unique platform for Ukraine because the reader can learn everything that is important to know about antibiotics in only one space.
Ukrainian doctors, who have already joined the campaign, want to draw patients’ attention to the importance of the responsible use of antibacterial drugs. And in a series of creative videos, they encourage patients to follow five rules of responsible antibiotic treatment:
1.Take antibiotics only with a prescription
2.Follow the prescribed antibiotic treatment regimen
3.Finish the course prescribed by your doctor right to the end
4.Do not change the antibiotic to one that once helped you with similar symptoms
5.Do not pass or advise the antibiotic to other people
Maryana Selyuk, physician of the highest category and ambassador of the programme “Antibiotics according to the rules”:
“Antibiotics have helped people for decades and saved us from deadly diseases. Now antibiotics need our help. It is our responsibility to preserve antibiotics for ourselves and future generations. Our mission is to stop the chaotic and unjustified use of antibiotics. Help antibiotics help you – join the “Antibiotics by the rules” campaign and tell your family and friends about the five rules of treatment with antibiotics.”
Andriy Vysotsky, anaesthesiologist of the National Children’s Clinical Hospital “Okhmatdyt” and ambassador of the programme “Antibiotics according to the rules”:
“Antibiotics do not work on viruses. COVID-19 is a viral disease, but we see how often people start taking antibiotics prophylactically. This is a very dangerous practice, which will lead to the fact that in a few years we will not have weapons against bacterial infections. Knowing and following the rules of antibiotic treatment is vital if we want to continue to defeat bacterial diseases. That is why this information campaign is so important and relevant.”
Rimma Battalova, Arterium Corporation Safe Medicines Usage Expert
“Arterium is a leader in the segment of antibacterial agents. This means that a large portion of patients are treated with our antibiotics. We are aware of our responsibility and make significant efforts to teach our patients to use antibiotics correctly and to not self-medicate. This is our social mission.”
Doctor-ambassadors of the information campaign “Antibiotics according to the rules” urge everyone to join the campaign: both doctors and patients. In order for antibiotics to work in the future, we need to act now –- antibiotics need our help.
To join the project, you need to go to the website www.antibacterium.com.ua, support the campaign of responsible antibiotic treatment and agree to follow the five rules. All participants of the programme will be automatically displayed on the online map, so later it will show how many people in Ukraine are properly treated with antibiotics.
Any responsible patient or doctor can help with antibiotics – it is enough to share important information with your relatives and friends so that they do not violate the rules of antibiotic treatment and do not self-medicate. We offer to publish videos with the rules of antibiotic treatment on their pages in social networks and use the Facebookframe I take antibiotics according to the rules.
