Antibiotic consumption back to pre-corona level in 2023
Published: Monday, Nov 18th 2024, 14:20
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In 2023, the consumption of antibiotics in Swiss human medicine rose again to pre-coronavirus levels. Per 1000 inhabitants, it reached 10.8 daily doses or 3% more than in the pre-coronavirus year 2019. Despite the increase, Switzerland is still one of the countries with the lowest values in Europe.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, antibiotic consumption in surgeries and hospitals fell. It amounted to 8.6 defined daily doses per 1,000 inhabitants in 2021, as reported by the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) in its latest bulletin on Monday. The FOPH attributes the increase in 2023 to a strong wave of respiratory diseases in winter and spring. The target set in the Antibiotics Action Plan for 2027 is 10.2 defined doses.
In the case of antibiotics that are particularly problematic for the development of resistance, the FOPH found a decrease to 3.6 daily doses. In 2014, this figure was 4.9 and in 2022 it was 3.4 doses. The decrease since 2014 is therefore a good quarter.
In turn, the use of less critical antibiotics rose to 66% in 2023. This means that Switzerland has been above the World Health Organization's target of 60% since 2019. The target in the action plan is 69%.
The majority of antibiotics prescribed by doctors in 2023 were 9.4 daily doses for outpatient treatment. There were marked regional differences: In German-speaking Switzerland, the figure was 7.8 doses, in Italian-speaking Switzerland 12.4 and in French-speaking Switzerland 13.1.
At 30 percent, doctors' surgeries prescribed the largest proportion of antibiotics for upper respiratory tract infections, followed by urinary tract infections (28 percent). Hospitals administered 1.4 daily doses of antibiotics, the same as in 2022. 87% of prescriptions were issued by medical practices, 13% by hospitals.
In a European comparison, antibiotic consumption in Switzerland is lower. In the EU countries, the value in 2022 ranged between 9.1 and 33.5 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants. The average was 19.4 doses.
©Keystone/SDA
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