The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), in a paper published jointly with the World Health Organization (WHO) on 14 April, reports higher levels of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in the southern and eastern parts of Europe than in the northern and western parts.
In addition, Dr Danilo Lo Fo Wong, WHO Regional Adviser for Antimicrobial Resistance Control, reports an increase in Acinetobacter species resistant to broad-spectrum antibiotics called carbapenems.
ECDC notes that these trends are particularly marked for resistance to cephalosporin antibiotics and third-generation carbapenems in K. pneumoniae and carbapenem resistance in Acinetobacter spp.
However, according to Dr Lo Fo Wong, this resistance is difficult to eradicate once endemic. He therefore calls for increased efforts to combat such resistance.
In terms of monitoring antimicrobial resistance, ECDC points out that in 2021, more countries and laboratories were reporting data to the two dedicated surveillance networks, EARS-NET and CAESAR, than in 2020. However, 16% of countries indicated that they collected data on antimicrobial resistance only at the local level and had not implemented a standardised approach to collecting this data.
ECDC welcomes the development by most countries of national action plans on antimicrobial resistance and infection prevention and control programmes as well as antimicrobial management and surveillance programmes.
However, the Centre draws attention to the fact that these plans and programmes require high-level support and adequate funding in order to effectively combat antimicrobial resistance.
Link to the surveillance report: https://aeur.eu/f/6bv (EV)