Use Antibiotics Responsibly and Consciously
Around 20 000 people in the European Union, nowadays, die each year due to 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 immediately, 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 carefully watches the use of antibiotics in the Republic of Croatia, calls for their rational and correct use and promotes the raising awareness of bacterial resistance, hence an 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 ask all doctors and patients to prescribe and use antibiotics responsibly and consciously:
- Antibiotics are intended for the treatment of bacterial infections, but not the viral ones.
- Antibiotics are not for the treatment of flu or throat ache.
- Antibiotics do not lower body temperature.
- Antibiotics should be used only upon doctor's prescription, in equal time intervals and the doses should be administered entirely.
Here you may find additional information about antibiotics and their rational use.
