More than 35,000 people die each year from antimicrobial-resistant infections in the EU/EEA, according to estimates presented in a new report published today by the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). The estimated number of deaths in the report examines the years 2016-2020 and shows an increase over previous estimates.
“We are seeing worrying increases in the number of deaths attributable to infections with antimicrobial-resistant bacteria, especially those that are resistant to last-line antimicrobial treatment,” said Andrea Ammon, ECDC Director. “Every day, about 100 people die from these infections in the EU/EEA. Further efforts are needed to further reduce unnecessary antimicrobial use, improve infection prevention and control practices, design and implement antimicrobial stewardship programs, and ensure adequate microbiological capacity at the national level.”
Overall, the latest data show significantly increasing trends in the number of infections and deaths attributable to almost all combinations of antibiotic resistance in bacteria, especially in healthcare settings.
In 2021, the number of reported cases of species of Acinetobacter resistant to different groups of antimicrobials was more than double (+121%) than the 2018-2019 average. Another example is the percentage of cases of Klebsiella pneumoniae resistant to carbapenems -an antibiotic that is usually used as a last resort-, of which there was an increase of 31% in 2020 and another 20% in 2021. These are difficult-to-target pathogens. eradicate once established in healthcare settings. In addition, the number of reported cases of White ears it almost doubled between 2020 and 2021 and was considerably higher than in previous years. Candida auris is a fungal pathogen that causes outbreaks of invasive healthcare-associated infections and can be resistant to multiple antifungal agents.
In the EU/EEA, a 23% decrease in total consumption of antimicrobials in humans was observed, in the primary care and hospital sectors combined, during the period 2012-2021. Although this represents an achievement, there has been an increase in the proportion of ‘broad spectrum’ antibiotics being used, particularly in hospitals. Between 2012 and 2021 in hospitals, the use of “broad-spectrum” antibiotics increased by 15%, the use of carbapenems by 34%, and the proportion of “reserve” antibiotics – that is, antibiotics that must be reserved for treatment of confirmed or suspected multidrug-resistant infections – more than doubled in the same period.
Reported AMR percentages varied widely between countries for various combinations of bacterial species and antimicrobial groups. In general, the lowest ADR percentages were reported by Northern European countries, and the highest by Southern and Eastern European countries.