Share

19 November 2019 Italy is first in Europe for the number of deaths linked to antibiotic resistance: of the 33,000 deaths that occur in EU countries every year due to infections caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria, over 10,000 are recorded in our country.

This is the updated framework provided by the Higher Institute of Health (ISS) on the occasion of the World Week for the conscious use of antibiotics, from 18 to 24 November.

In Italy, in 2018, the percentages of resistance to the main classes of antibiotics for the eight pathogens under surveillance (Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Enterococcus faecalis, Enterococcus faecium, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter species), explains the Institute on its site, "they therefore remain higher than the European average, even within the context of a declining trend compared to previous years".

Central Italy is the area with the highest incidence of reported cases and is the only one to have shown an increase in the incidence rate compared to 2017: 4.4 cases per 100,000 residents (in 2017 they were 3.8 per 100,000), followed by the South and the Islands (3.1 out of 100,000 residents) and from the North (2.8 out of 100,000 residents). In the Center, the Region with the highest incidence is Lazio (5.9 out of 100,000 residents), in the South and Islands, Apulia (6 out of 100,000 residents) and in the North, Emilia-Romagna (5.2 out of 100,000 residents) .

The subjects most involved are males (65.2%), between 60 and 79 years (48.5%), hospitalized (86.1%) and, among these, the majority are in intensive care units (38.3 %). The most common pathogen is Klebsiella pneumoniae (97.7%), but since the end of 2018 there has been an increase in other enzymes, in particular the New Delhi bacterium.

Also in 2018, antibiotic-resistance reports were sent from 19 regions, but there were no reported cases in Molise and Basilicata which, together with Valle d'Aosta, had not reported cases even in 2017.