Europe is Overusing Antibiotics, Latvia is Catching Up

Health experts have called on Europe to reduce its reliance on antibiotics amid the growing threat of drug resistance, yet in some countries, these medications are used significantly more often than in others. This is reported by Euronews.

Goals Not Achieved

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) occurs when pathogens such as bacteria or viruses evolve to evade existing medications, making infections harder to treat. The overuse of antibiotics accelerates the development of AMR, which leads to more than 35,000 deaths annually in the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway.

In 2023, the EU Council urged member states to reduce antibiotic use and ensure that at least 65 percent of antibiotics used are first-line medications.

However, none of these goals have been met, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) warned last month.

On average across the EU, in 2024, there were 20.3 daily doses of antibiotics per 1,000 inhabitants. This is 2 percent higher than the baseline level of 2019 recorded before the pandemic and significantly above the EU target of 15.9 daily doses by 2030.

Antibiotic consumption also varies greatly across Europe. Last year, the daily dose rate ranged from 9.8 in the Netherlands to 29.9 in Greece.

Heading in the Wrong Direction

In Latvia, antibiotic use is low compared to many European countries - 15.4 doses. However, there is no reason to celebrate.

"In many countries, trends are moving in the wrong direction," experts point out. Since 2020, antibiotic consumption has increased in Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Estonia, Finland, France, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, and Spain, according to ECDC data.

"The weak progress in achieving EU goals for the consumption of antimicrobial agents highlights the need to strengthen efforts to combat the unjustified and inappropriate use of antimicrobials at all levels of healthcare," the agency stated in its November report.

The ECDC stated that countries should update diagnostic practices considering the overuse of antibiotics and take more steps towards infection prevention and control.

Among other things, the fight against AMR is complicated by the risk of spreading drug-resistant pathogens across borders and the aging population of Europe, which makes more people vulnerable to infections.