National Program to Counter Antibiotic Resistance

(admin.ch - The portal of the Swiss government, July 08, 2013)

Antibiotics are essential for use against bacterial infections, both in human and in veterinary medicine. Without them, modern medicine would be unthinkable - dangerous diseases such as pneumonia or sepsis could hardly be cured. With the increase in use of antibiotics, the number of antibiotic-resistant bacteria is also increasing, posing huge challenges in public health, food safety and animal health. The Swiss Federal Council now wants to bundle the activities and set up a joint strategy to counter antibiotic resistances. Measures to reduce the inappropriate use of antibiotics and to monitor and decrease the occurrence of resistant bacteria are already underway.