Don't Misuse Antibiotics, Says SATCM Head

The head of the State Service for Food Safety, Gevorg Avetisyan, addressed the issue of antibiotic resistance in his message marking the start of a week of awareness campaigns against antimicrobial resistance.

“Dear citizens, I want to draw your attention to a problem that specialists frequently raise, yet it remains concerning. Antimicrobial resistance is one of the most serious issues facing humanity. Since 2015, the World Health Organization has initiated a global awareness campaign against antimicrobial resistance, which will take place this year from November 18 to 25.

The human body can acquire antimicrobial resistance both through the use of these medications and through residues found in food. According to WHO estimates, if necessary measures are not taken, approximately 10 million deaths due to drug-resistant infections could be recorded worldwide by 2050, with an economic cost of around $100 trillion.

Antimicrobial resistance is a problem related to agriculture and food safety, as antimicrobial drugs are used in livestock, veterinary medicine, poultry farming, and aquaculture not only for therapeutic purposes but also for prevention and growth promotion. As a result, drug residues can pass through food to humans, leading to resistance to antimicrobials.

International data indicates that over 50% of the antibiotics produced globally are used in agriculture, including as feed additives. An effective measure against this issue is the care, monitoring, and disease prevention in animals, which reduces the spread of infections, prevents the transmission of microorganisms, thus decreasing the need for antibiotics and preventing the emergence of resistance to antimicrobial drugs.

Despite the restrictions on contact due to measures taken against the coronavirus, the State Service for Food Safety, through its regional bodies, regularly engages with farmers, veterinarians, and representatives of veterinary pharmacies, organizing discussions and awareness campaigns on the unacceptable misuse and abuse of antibiotics.

A draft law has been initiated to restrict the sale of antibiotics, reserving the authority to prescribe and dispense antibiotics to licensed veterinarians with appropriate prescriptions. There is a long and responsible way to go in terms of adopting relevant legal acts and adapting the necessary tools for proper monitoring. In this regard, our country’s stance is in line with international approaches.

Do not misuse antibiotics, as it leads to irreversible consequences,” the message states.