Antimicrobial resistance
Antimicrobial resistance, which occurs when bacteria change and become resistant to antibiotics, is on the rise globally. Antimicrobial resistance is believed to develop into a major health threat in the future.
What is antimicrobial resistance and why is it spreading?
Antimicrobial resistance occurs when bacteria change and become immune to antibiotic medicines used to treat infections. As a result, antibiotics no longer work to treat infections.
At worst, antimicrobial resistance threatens modern medicine and jeopardises the healthcare system. This could result in patients dying from common infections, and medical procedures, such as cancer treatments and surgical operations, becoming more dangerous.
What can be done to mitigate the threat of antimicrobial resistance?
Antibiotics with a novel mechanism of action
Antibiotics with a novel mechanism of action are needed on the market quickly.
Vanhat, kapeakirjoiset antibiootit
Vanhat, kapeakirjoiset antibiootit tulee säilyttää markkinoilla.
Old narrow-spectrum antibiotics
Old narrow-spectrum antibiotics must stay on the market.
New innovations
New innovations are needed in the management of infections.
Vaccines
Vaccine use is one way to curb the need for antibiotics and, consequently, to mitigate the threat of antimicrobial resistance.
Controlled use of antibiotics
Antibiotics can be administered to humans and animals responsibly.
Improving the supervision of pharmaceutical manufacturing
Globally, there are discussions about whether the threat of antimicrobial resistance could be mitigated by introducing the assessment of the environmental risks caused by antibiotics to the supervision of pharmaceutical manufacturing.
Clean food
Antimicrobial resistance will increase if antibiotics are used in food animal production to promote animal growth. In Finland, antibiotics have not been used to promote animal growth since late 1990s. However, it is estimated that the use of antibiotics on animals will increase outside the EU in the future.
Clean water and environment
Antimicrobial load in the environment and water systems should be reduced by improving wastewater treatment processes – also outside the EEA.
Good hygiene
There are many ways to prevent infectious diseases, such as by practising good hand hygiene.
Read more about antimicrobial resistance
Study: There is an urgent need for new effective antibiotics (Fimea, in Finnish)
Antimicrobial resistance – a threat to human and animal health (Sic!, in Finnish)
Antibiotic resistance (The Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare)
Global burden of bacterial antimicrobial resistance in 2019: a systematic analysis (The Lancet)
European Health Union: EU steps up the fight against antimicrobial resistance (European Commission)