Antimicrobial Resistance Costing Italy 1 Billion Euros Annually
A recent report released by Cittadinanzattiva has revealed that antimicrobial resistance in Italy is costing the country approximately 800 million euros in acute hospitalizations resulting from infections every year. The report also highlights the economic damage of around 200 million euros in terms of lost patient productivity.
The Roadmap for Antimicrobial Resistance provides a comprehensive analysis of the current knowledge on antimicrobial resistance and presents 10 different strategies that can be adopted as priorities to combat it. These strategies range from educating citizens on the conscious use of antibiotics to training health professionals, developing new antibiotics, monitoring resistance, using rapid diagnostic tests, and promoting research from a One Health perspective.
Globally, infections with resistant bacteria cause approximately 1.5 million deaths per year, and the number rises to almost 5 million if indirect deaths are also considered. Italy is among the most affected countries, with between 10 and 15,000 hospital deaths every year due to infections from multi-resistant bacteria.
Valeria Fava, head of health policy coordination at Cittadinanzattiva, stated, “The phenomenon of antimicrobial resistance represents an emergency for public health not only for the epidemiological, economic, and social impact that derives from it but also because of the risk determined by the rapid loss of efficacy by an increasing number of antibiotics and the reduced development of new antibiotic molecules over the last decade. This is why it is a priority to identify a shared and unitary strategy to combat it.”
The report sheds light on the urgent need to address antimicrobial resistance and calls for coordinated efforts to combat this growing public health threat. With the economic and human costs of antimicrobial resistance on the rise, it is crucial for Italy and other countries to prioritize and invest in strategies to tackle this pressing issue.
The full article can be found on ANSA’s website.