European Antibiotic Awareness Day 2018: News release

1 in 3 patients received at least one antimicrobial on any given day. Some of this use may be unnecessary and contribute to the emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance. 

Latest data show that the situation concerning antimicrobial resistance in Europe displays wide variations depending on the bacterial species, antimicrobial group and geographical region.

No statistically significant change was observed overall for the EU/EEA overall regarding antimicrobial consumption in the community and the hospitals. Trends were observed for particular countries.

ECDC calls for continued action to address antimicrobial resistance in healthcare settings. 1 in 3 bacteria associated with healthcare-associated infections, both in hospitals and in long-term care facilities, was resistant to antibiotics. Each year, 33000 people die from an infection due to resistant bacteria.

For EAAD 2018 ECDC hosts the event “One Health to Keep Antibiotics Working” in Brussels. to present the latest data on theh burden of antibiotic resistance, and the prevalence of healthcare-associated infections and of antimicrobial consumption in acute care hospitals and long-term care facilities in the EU/EEA.

Mark the EAAD by telling us what you do to #KeepAntibioticsWorking - share a message via Twitter, Facebook or Instagram, explaining what you are doing to ensure that these medicines remain effective.  between 12-18 November. Use #KeepAntibitioicsWorking.

On 15 November, organisations from around the globe will tweet the same message at 14:00 CET: Antibiotic resistance is one of the most urgent global health threats. Everyone has a role to play in improving antibiotic use to help fight #AntibioticResistance.

New infographics with feature highlights from the point prevalence surveys on healthcare-associated infections and antimicrobial use, and the burden of resistant bacteria article released on the occasion of the 2018 European Antibiotic Awareness Day. 

The objective of this toolkit is to support efforts to increase prudent use of antibiotics in hospitals and other healthcare settings through dissemination of evidence-based educational and information materials.