more than one-third (36.6%) of the population had at least one antimicrobial prescription subsidised by the Australian government in 2022, up from 32.9% in 2021.
more than one-third (36.6%) of the population had at least one antimicrobial prescription subsidised by the Australian government in 2022, up from 32.9% in 2021.
That figure shocked me at first, but then I realised that it’s over a 12 month period, out of the people that went to the doctor in that period 47% got at least one antibiotic prescription. Not 47% of doctors visits handing out antibiotics (like I first thought), and not 47% of the population.
I tried and failed to find out what proportion of the population went to the doctor in 2018 (or any year), but I think that’s important information to have if we want to compare numbers against Australia.
It’s possible that people can’t afford to go to the doctor, so they only go when it’s really bad.
Also just thinking, the figure in the article compares 2022 to 2021. That’s still coming out of COVID, a time when (physical) illness was at an all time low due to lack of exposure to others. Is the increase in 2022 over 2021 actually representative of the trend? The article even mentions that antimicrobial use dropped over COVID prior to this rise, but not by how much.