Every year, over 35,000 people in Europe die from an infection with a pathogen that no longer responds to the medication. This is estimated by the European health service ECDC.

According to the service, the number of deaths due to pathogens such as bacteria that are resistant to drugs is rising.

Those who contract an infection with a bacterium, for example, can be treated with antibiotics. If a bacteria becomes insensitive (resistant) to antibiotics, the antibiotics can no longer kill or slow down the bacteria. This makes the infection more difficult to treat. Resistance can develop if antibiotics are used too much or incorrectly. The bacteria will then protect itself against it.

The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) estimated the number of deaths due to infections, including resistant bacteria and fungi, based on data covering the period between 2016 and 2020.

Although the overall use of medication against this type of pathogens fell by almost a quarter between 2012 and 2021, the administration of certain antibiotics (medication against bacteria) increased. ECDC advocates more economical use of antibiotics, among other things, to prevent even more of these medicines from becoming unusable.

Resistance of pathogens to certain medications is more common in the south of Europe than in the north, according to ECDC. In some European countries, antibiotics are available without a doctor’s prescription.

Friday is European Antibiotic Awareness Day, the European day for raising awareness of the responsible use of antibiotics.