The first survey about the antibiotic usage in the Republic of Macedonia.

Development of antibiotic resistance represents a major global and Macedonian public health problem. To assess the opinion and knowledge of the citizens of Macedonia about the usage of antibiotics, voluntary and anonymous survey was realized. A total of 239 persons (age 10-67 years) were interviewed. Following information was obtained: 73.64% get antibiotics with a medical prescription; and 87.03% receiving the antibiotic on time, dosage and prescribed duration. When asked about knowledge about antibiotics, 38% of the interviewed persons gave the right answer, 43.1% of respondents made false statements that antibiotics are effective against viral infections and 25.52% did not express any opinion.