According to the Minister of Health Etienne Schneider, the use of antibiotics has fallen in the past ten years. Schneider provided the information in a response to a parliamentary question submitted by party colleague LSAP MP Mars Di Bartolomeo.
The minister referred to a 2017 report issued by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).
The report confirmed that the tendency to use antibiotics was declining in Luxembourg. Schneider confirmed that assessment, explaining that the ECDC's data was confirmed by General Inspectorate of Social Security.
Between 2007 and 2017, the number of antibiotics prescribed dropped by 18%. More specifically, the data shows a 31% decrease in antibiotics prescribed to children between the ages of 0 and 4, alongside a 39% decline in prescriptions for children aged between five and 14. Schneider described the evolution as a n encouraging one.
The use of antibiotics undergo fluctuations throughout the year. During the winter months, there is a 35% increase in antibiotics prescriptions, namely due to the prevalence of the flu.
Schneider concluded the response by highlighting the challenge in continuing the trend, as Luxembourg remains above the European average in antibiotics usage.
