Juliette Gagliardi
Junior Researcher
Antimicrobial resistance in Italy - Statistics & Facts
Since their discovery, antibiotics have had a significant impact on human health, as they have contributed heavily to reducing mortality rates and increasing quality of life. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR), the natural process in which micro-organisms enhance their resistance to antimicrobials, is considered a major global health threat by the World Health Organization (WHO). Although AMR is an unavoidable process, the frequent misuse of antimicrobials is accelerating the development of antimicrobial resistance, reducing the effectiveness of treatments, increasing the mortality due to infections, and increasing healthcare and social costs. In 2019, deaths directly attributable to AMR worldwide amounted to 1.27 million, while deaths associated with AMR reached almost five million. During that period, the highest rates of death associated and attributable to AMR were recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.
AMR in Italy
In Italy, a decrease in the use of antibiotics has been guided by the implementation of the Piano Nazionale di Contrasto dell’Antimicrobico-Resistenza - PNCAR 2017/20 (National Plan to Contrast Antimicrobial Resistance) to control the use of antibiotics for human and animal use and consequently reduce the frequency of infections due to bacteria resistant to antibiotics. Nevertheless, when looking at the data concerning cases of blood infections due to antibiotic-resistant bacteria in Italy, an overall growing trend can be seen. Indeed, the incidence rate of bacteremia caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria in Italy rose from a rate of 2.1 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2014, to 3.2 people out of 100,000 affected by this kind of bacteremia in 2021. Specifically, in 2021, the number of bacteremia cases caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria in Italy amounted to 2,192 cases, mostly among men and people between 60 and 79 years.Opinions on AMR and antibiotics in Italy
In 2022, the European Commission requested a survey on the topic of resistance to antibiotics. In Italy, when individuals were asked about their consumption of antibiotics during the 12 months before the interview, 27 percent of them answered they consumed antibiotics during this period, a higher share than the EU average. Public awareness campaigns have been proven to be effective in reducing the over-consumption of antibiotics. Countries like Italy, where almost 50 percent of citizens think that antibiotics are used to kill viruses and 21 percent believe they are effective against colds, should implement such campaigns to raise awareness on the correct use of antibiotics and the negative effects of their misuse. Moreover, testing for bacterial or viral infections before prescribing antibiotics is a reliable way to end their over-prescribing. However, as of March 2022, more than 50 percent of Italians stated they had not been tested before taking antibiotics.
