Use Antibiotics Responsibly and Conscientiously
Each year more than 35 000 people in the European Union die from serious bacterial infections resistant to antibiotics. The evidence suggest that excessive use of antibiotics may cause resistance or stability of microorganisms against previously effective medicine. If we do not act promptly, the antimicrobial resistance may in the future put at risk the treatment possibility of many today curable infectious diseases.
The Agency for Medicinal Products and Medical Devices (HALMED) approves also indications for the medicinal product concerned during the marketing authorisation procedure. Antibiotics are indicated for treatment of bacterial infections and not for viruses. Exceptionally, it is important to adhere to the current indications and other instructions about the use of the medicine as indicated in the Package Leaflet and the Summary of Product Characteristics.
Package Leaflets and Summaries of Product characteristics in Croatia are publicly available in the Medicinal product database on the HALMED website.
HALMED closely monitors the use of antibiotics in the Republic of Croatia, promotes their rational and correct use and raises public awareness about antimicrobical resistance.
Incorrect and excessive prescription of antibiotics as well as their incorrect use facilitate resistance of microorganisms to antibiotics and increase the risk for other diseases.
We call on all doctors and patients to prescribe and use antibiotics responsibly and conscientiously:
- Antibiotics are intended for the treatment of bacterial, not viral, infections.
- Antibiotics are not for the treatment of flu or throat ache.
- Antibiotics do not reduce fever.
- Antibiotics should be used only upon doctor's prescription, in the prescribed doses, at the recommended intervals, and for the full duration of the prescribed treatment, even if symptoms improve earlier.
