Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention "Only half of the general public recognizes the seriousness of antibiotic resistance."

According to a survey, only about half of the general public is aware of the seriousness of resistance problems caused by misuse of antibiotics.

According to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's survey of 800 general public and 1,100 doctors in Korea, only 52.9% of the general public recognized antibiotic resistance as a serious problem.

Only 28.1% of the general public understood the use of antibiotics correctly as a treatment for bacterial infectious diseases.

Among doctors, 69.6% answered antibiotic resistance as a serious problem, and 53.6% said they would faithfully prescribe it according to the guidelines.

In this regard, as of 2021, antibiotic use in Korea was 1.2 times higher than the average of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, and 30% of antibiotics prescribed by medical institutions were inappropriate prescriptions.

The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention emphasized that only prescribed antibiotics should be taken to prevent antibiotic resistance, and that people should not take leftovers or take other drugs.