Norway to focus on unnecessary use of antibiotics for asymptomatic UTI

European Antibiotic Awareness Day is being marked on Friday by health institutions throughout Europe. This year, Norway will focus on the unnecessary use of antibiotics to treat asymptomatic urinary tract infections.

European Antibiotic Awareness Day is marked annually on November 18th and a number of initiatives are encouraged by the European Centre for Disease Control to heighten awareness of the problem of microbe resistance through inappropriate antibiotic use.

This year, Norway will focus on the unnecessary use of antibiotics to treat asymptomatic urinary tract infections by general practitioners, hospitals and nursing homes. Antibiotic treatment is often prescribed as a precautionary measure, even though this does not benefit patients and may cause them to be colonised with antibiotic-resistant microbes. National recommendations for treatment of urinary tract infections will be distributed within health care settings after November 18th.

Source: European Centre for Disease Control