Cold or Flu? No Antibiotics!

The unnecessary use of antibiotics is making more and more bacteria resistant to them. This phenomenon of bacterial resistance has become a major public health problem today, both in our country and worldwide.

Observation

Although antibiotics are effective and useful only against bacterial infections, there is an excessive increase in antibiotic prescriptions during the winter. Winter periods are characterized by epidemics of acute respiratory illnesses, such as flu, colds, common coughs, or sore throats, the vast majority of which are of viral origin.

Key Messages

To stop this trend and prevent the loss of an essential class of medicines in our therapeutic arsenal, the Directorate of Health is organizing an information campaign aimed at the general public and healthcare professionals. The 2010/2011 campaign on the proper use of antibiotics, “Cold or Flu? No Antibiotics!”, aims to raise awareness among citizens and health professionals about:

• The increasingly worrying danger of bacterial resistance caused by inappropriate use of medications (self-medication, premature interruption of treatment, etc.)

• The ineffectiveness of antibiotics against viral illnesses such as the flu or common cold, in both adults and children

• The importance of developing a dialogue between doctor and patient

The multimedia component of this campaign is aligned with the European campaign of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), illustrating the problem of improper antibiotic use through the example of a misused ampoule.

Information Tools

It includes a TV spot in Luxembourgish, a cinema spot in French, as well as banners on the Internet and advertisements in the print press. For direct communication, posters and leaflets in French and German will be widely distributed to doctors, pharmacists, hospitals, medical centers, and the National Health Fund. In line with campaigns organized by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), two notepads for medical offices have been created: “Advice for the proper use of prescribed antibiotics” and “Advice for quick recovery from a viral infection (cold, flu, etc.).” The treating doctor can easily complete and give these two notepads to patients. For young patients, coloring images on the topic have been designed. An electronic version of these materials as well as versions translated into Portuguese are available for download in the “Learn More” box below.