E.coli bacteria in Vietnam are resistant to antibiotics

According to Associate Professor Doan Mai Phuong, former Head of the Department of Microbiology, Bach Mai Hospital, E.coli bacteria are now resistant to Carbapenem antibiotics - the antibiotic considered the last resort for treatment. The antibiotic resistance rate of this bacteria is increasing by 30-40%, compared to 2009. E.coli is a common bacteria, mainly transmitted through food (food poisoning).

"If not controlled, antibiotic resistance will spread from one bacteria to another, and resistance to Carbapenem antibiotics will increase rapidly," said Ms. Phuong.

E.coli is one of many types of gram-negative intestinal bacteria resistant to antibiotics in Vietnam. It is also one of the groups of super bacteria that are resistant to all types of antibiotics at an alarming rate in the world today.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has listed Vietnam among the countries with the highest antibiotic resistance rates in the world. While many developed countries use first-generation antibiotics effectively, Vietnam has had to use third and fourth-generation antibiotics.

Antibiotic resistance stems from people's habit of buying drugs without prescription. Even doctors use antibiotics inappropriately. Since 2009, the number of antibiotics sold in the community in Vietnam has doubled. Up to 88% of antibiotics in urban areas are sold without prescription, in rural areas the rate is up to 91%.