Summary
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) warns of rising antibiotic use in the EU, increasing risks of antimicrobial resistance, which contributed to nearly 5 million deaths in 2019.
Between 2019 and 2023, 14 EU countries reported higher antibiotic consumption, with hospital use of last-resort antibiotics also rising.
The overuse and misuse of antibiotics remain the primary drivers of resistance.
Despite EU targets to reduce antibiotic consumption by 20% by 2030, progress is slow, with the ECDC urging stronger action to curb resistance and reassess guidelines.
The report in question:
https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/sites/default/files/documents/antimicrobial-consumption-ESAC-Net-annual-epidemiological-report-2023_0.pdf
And the data on usage:
Very interesting graph. It clearly shows a reduced antibiotic consumption during the corona pandemic in most countries. Probably due to the use of facemasks reducing the number of situations requiring antibiotics.