He added that there had been a global increase in antibiotic resistance or Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR).
“Excessive prescription of antibiotics by doctors and pharmacists to patients, who also take it when not necessary, has led to a rise in AMR cases annually.
“Not all sickness need to be treated with antibiotics as 95% of patients suffering from non-life threatening diseases caused by a virus can be treated by normal vaccine. So this group of medical practitioners have a role to play in controlling the use of antibiotics,” he said after officiating the national-level World Antibiotic Awareness Week seminar here today.
The one-day seminar, held in cooperation with the health ministry, World Health Organisation (WHO) and Association of Private Hospitals Malaysia (APHM), was aimed at raising awareness among the people on the importance of controlling AMR as well as steps to tackle the problem.
Lee added that WHO and the Malaysian government had jointly launched the five-year National Strategic Action Plan recently in a bid to contain the problem.
“The plan, launched by the ministry in February this year will last until 2022. One of the steps taken was the implementation of the AMR monitoring programme, which encourages the involvement of various sectors, especially government and public hospitals, to share ideas on ways to tackle the problem.”
AMR, which is better known as “superbugs”, is deadly as microbes are immune to antibiotics. If not contained immediately, it could lead to death because there will be a higher risk of contagious diseases, like tuberculosis, spreading.