Greece has among the highest antibiotics consumption among EU countries, ranking third in 2021 behind Romania and Bulgaria, with three times the consumption of Austria, which is last in the rankings.
A survey presented Wednesday at an Athens Medical Association event showed that one in three households has antibiotics at home, while three out of four adults have taken antibiotics in the past 12 months.
A 2.8% drop in antibiotics consumption in Greece between 2020 and 2021, is described as a good sign but not significant.
The side effects of overuse include rashes, allergic shock, kidney and liver toxicity, a predisposition to obesity, and microbial resistance to antibiotics.
“Pneumococcus has developed resistance ranging from 35% to 60% to the appropriate antibiotics,” said Kyriaki Kanellakopoulou, professor emeritus of infectious diseases at the University of Athens.
