CRI听力:Antibiotics Severely Misused in China

Misuse of antibiotics in China is a very severe problem. About 80,000 people die every year due to adverse reactions to antibiotics, according to statistics. Experts say misunderstandings about the use of antibiotics among the Chinese public need to be cleared up.

Let's find out more with reporter Liu Min.




Bacterial resistance to antibiotics is rising across the globe after North America and South Korea found a super bacteria spreading due to misuse of antibiotics. Such cases also exist in China. The "super bacteria," or MRAB, have shown a sharp rise in resistance to antibiotics so far. Super bacteria may have caused the deaths of 27 people at a hospital in Japan. Researcher Wang He says bacterial resistance to antibiotics is growing rapidly.

"Commonly seen bacteria will increase by 20 percent in their ability to resist antibiotics. The speed is very fast."
Data from the Ministry of Health shows, antibiotics were prescribed to about 74 percent of hospital patients and about 21 percent of outpatients in China in 2007. The figures are far higher than in many other countries. Professor Xiao Yonghong from Zhejiang Medical Hospital says the strong bacteria resistant to antibiotics are spreading.

"If you are in the environment which is carrying the strong bacteria resistant to antibiotics, then you would also get affected by such bacteria. You may not have any diseases right away, but you could find yourself resistant to a certain kind of antibiotics when you get sick one day."

In China, customers can get antibiotics without prescriptions from many pharmacies, even though prescriptions are required. In hospitals, doctors also tend to prescribe strong antibiotics to patients to earn commission fees from drug producers. The misuse of antibiotics has caused a serious situation in China as well as around the globe. Social Issue Commentator Yang Yu says reversing the current situation will need effort from all parties.

"The current problem in China is that doctors earn money by selling drugs. Another is that pharmacies also depend on sales of medicines. This phenomenon fosters misuse of antibiotics. Only after successful medical reform can misuse of antibiotics be curbed."

Currently, the Chinese government is pushing medical reform in multiple areas. Education on the harmful effects of misusing antibiotics is carried out in primary and high schools. However, experts say the public needs to be more aware of the effects of misusing antibiotics in order to protect themselves, especially when the medical environment in China is still far from healthy.

For CRI, I'm Liu Min.