ECDC: The EU is not reducing the use of antibiotics fast enough!
The European Union must do more to stop the unnecessary use of antibiotics at all levels of healthcare to avoid dangerous levels of microbial resistance, according to a study published on Monday by the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). ).
Antimicrobial resistance contributed to nearly 5 million deaths in 2019, and health experts warn that by 2050, over 39 million people could have died from antibiotic-resistant infections.
The concern is that bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites are evolving to resist the effects of the drugs, making infections more difficult to treat. The main cause of resistance is the overuse or misuse of antibiotics.
The latest ECDC report, which analyzes antibiotic consumption in the EU through 2023, reveals that efforts to reduce use are failing: between 2019 and 2023, no EU country showed a significant downward trend. Despite some progress, "Europe is still going in the wrong direction," said Pamela Rendi-Wagner, director of the ECDC, when presenting the data.
Of the 24 Member States that provided data continuously throughout the period, 14 Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia actually reported higher consumption. higher of antibiotics in 2023 than 2019.
The report also highlights an increase in the use of reserve antibiotics in hospitals, which rose to 5.4% of total consumption in 2023 from 3.4% in 2019. The World Health Organization says that these antibiotics should only be used as a last resort to treat infections caused by multidrug-resistant organisms.
This may reflect a greater need to treat resistant bacteria, but may also suggest that countries should re-evaluate guidelines for the use of back-up antibiotics, the ECDC said. The report highlights the EU's slow progress towards the 2030 targets set last year by the European Council.
By 2030, compared to 2019, there should be a 20% reduction in total human antibiotic consumption, with 65% of antibiotics consumed coming from the “access” class considered less likely to cause resistance , EU leaders said.
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