EU/World Health Day: fight against antimicrobial resistance must continue on a global scale

IP/11/448
Brussels, 6 April 2011

This year's World Health Day focuses on the growing threat of potentially deadly bacteria developing resistance to antimicrobial drugs - especially to antibiotics. The Commission joins the World Health Organisation in calling for strengthened efforts to combat antimicrobial resistance, which is a global health hazard. In the Union alone, it is estimated that drug resistant infections cause more than 25,000 deaths and 1.5Bn€ in extra healthcare costs every year1.

In a joint statement, Commissioner for Health and Consumers, John Dalli, Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science Máire Geoghegan-Quinn and Commissioner for Development, Andris Piebalgs said: "On the occasion of the World Health Day, we wish to raise awareness of the growing problem of antimicrobial resistance. Antibiotics, have led to a revolution in medicine, allowing us to treat previously deadly bacterial infections and save many lives. However, these gains are now in jeopardy as the overuse and misuse of antimicrobial agents have led to a steep rise in resistant organisms and infections, causing unnecessary deaths and suffering and generating avoidable healthcare costs. Following on from the 2001 'Community Strategy against Antimicrobial Resistance', the Commission has developed a series of initiatives to tackle this issue. The success of many modern treatments, including organ transplants, cancer therapy and care of preterm babies depends in part upon effective solutions to the problem of antimicrobial resistance. So under the Seventh Framework Programme for research, the EU is funding work on prevention and control...

Source: World Health Day: fight against antimicrobial resistance must continue on a global scale
Author: EU

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