The Minister of Health, Consumption and Social Welfare in office, María Luisa Carcedo, has participated in the meeting of Council of Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumers (EPSCO) of the European Union, which brings together the Ministers of Health of the European Union.
The Minister has presented epidemiological data on measles in Spain, which she described as "very satisfactory".
Spain has the certificate of the WHO of elimination of measles, obtained in August of last year, which means that there is no endemic infection in the country and that all cases detected are associated with imported cases.
This is due to the high rates of vaccination in Spain, "a coverage that avoids epidemic risk and responds to the high awareness that exists in Spanish society about the usefulness of vaccines and the collaboration of health professionals, especially doctors of family, pediatricians and nurses, "said Carcedo.
Antibiotic resistances
At the meeting of the Council for Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumers, ministers also addressed the situation of resistance to antibiotics in the European Union.
In the case of Spain, Carcedo has commented that the consumption of antibiotics in the field of human health has been reduced in Spain by 7.2% between 2015 and 2018, and in the veterinary field there has been a reduction of 14% between 2014 and 2016.
"I would like to highlight the relevance and the effects achieved thanks to the application of National Plan Against Resistance to Antibiotics, in which all the Spanish professional bodies of human health and animal health are involved, "he said.
This program includes all the autonomous communities, six ministries (Health, Economy, Education, Agriculture, Interior and Defense), more than 70 scientific societies, collegiate organizations, professional associations and universities and more than 230 experts.
Homeopathic products
The minister has also revealed in Luxembourg the position advocated by the Government of Spain that homeopathic products are no longer considered as medicines. "If there is no scientific evidence on this practice, this circumstance should be transferred to European regulations," said the Minister.
European legislation defines homeopathic products as medicines and this consideration links Spain. "As you know, the Spanish Government has advocated the modification of this directive and that homeopathy should no longer be considered a medicine," he explained.
"In Spain we are carrying forward the Health Protection Plan against Pseudotherapies which includes actions to comprehensively protect the citizenship of pseudotherapies through accurate and rigorous information, based on knowledge, evidence and scientific rigor ", the minister recalled.