Sales of antibiotics in Sweden decreased by eleven percent during the period September 2019 to August 2020. The decrease is also visible in Sörmland.
Here, 249 prescriptions were printed per 1,000 inhabitants during the period, which is just below the national target of 250 discharges.
The year before, 277 prescriptions were published per 1,000 inhabitants in the county.
The pandemic has contributed
Reducing the use of antibiotics reduces the risk of antibiotic resistance.
According to the region, it is partly a long-term work behind the result, but the current pandemic has also contributed.
- This year, the prescription of antibiotics went down a lot during the corona pandemic because we kept our distance, were at home at the slightest sign of infection and got better at washing our hands, says Maria Remén who is assistant infection control doctor and chairman of local Strama (Collaboration against antibiotic resistance) , in a press release.