Superbug alarm in Europe! Antibiotics are losing their effectiveness

Bacteria that are increasingly gaining resistance to antibiotics have become one of the greatest threats to modern medicine. Antimicrobial resistance, which causes the deaths of about 35,000 people each year in the European Union, threatens human, animal, and environmental health. Experts warn that without action, millions of people could lose their lives.

Antibiotics became a pivotal moment in modern medicine by enabling the treatment of many infections once considered fatal. Yet bacteria are increasingly gaining resistance to the drugs designed to destroy them, threatening that success. This phenomenon, defined as antimicrobial resistance (AMR), has turned into a growing public‑health problem worldwide.

It is noted that the health impact of antimicrobial resistance, which causes the deaths of roughly 35,000 people annually in the European Union, is comparable to the combined effect of influenza, tuberculosis, and HIV/AIDS.

Antibiotics Fail in Some Infections

Professor Fiona Walsh of Maynooth University in Ireland told Euronews that antibiotic resistance means microbes no longer respond to the drugs normally used to treat them.

Walsh, highlighting how treatment becomes much harder in patients infected with bacteria resistant to multiple antibiotics, said doctors are forced to use several antibiotics in combination to bring infections under control.

However, in some cases, Walsh emphasized that drug combinations also failed to produce results, warning that this situation could lead to fatal outcomes.

Up to 2050, 39 million deaths could be avoided.

Antimicrobial resistance is predicted to turn into a far larger global health problem in the future. According to a study published in the journal The Lancet, bacterial antimicrobial resistance could directly cause the deaths of 39 million people worldwide between 2025 and 2050.

According to experts, the unnecessary and excessive use of antibiotics in humans, antibiotic consumption in livestock, inadequate hygiene conditions, and environmental pollution are among the main factors accelerating the spread of resistance.

The transfer of resistant bacteria and the genetic material that causes antibiotic resistance between humans, animals, and the environment shows that the problem is not confined to healthcare settings alone.

The One Health Approach Emerges as a Solution.

Researchers are addressing human, animal, and environmental health together in the fight against antimicrobial resistance."One Health" (One Health)draws attention to the importance of the approach.

This approach argues that human health cannot be evaluated independently of the health of animals and the environment. According to experts, to fight resistance, health services as well as agriculture, livestock, and environmental policies must be addressed together.

Vaccines Can Reduce Antibiotic Use

Fiona Walsh said that the fight against antimicrobial resistance should not focus solely on developing new antibiotics. She noted that widespread vaccination could reduce infections and the associated need for antibiotics.

According to estimates from the World Health Organization, more effective use of vaccines could reduce global annual antibiotic consumption by 2.5 billion doses.

Walsh also emphasized that a healthy lifestyle is important for reducing infection risk, especially among the elderly and those with weakened immune systems.

Walsh noted that beneficial bacteria in the body also play a key role in fighting infections, saying that bacteria in the gut, skin, and mouth are part of natural defense mechanisms. He warned that unnecessary use of antibiotics and disinfectants could upset this natural balance.

The Fight Is Not Limited to New Drugs Alone

According to experts, to curb antimicrobial resistance, investment must be made not only in developing new antibiotics but also in vaccine research, wastewater treatment systems, and improving animal health in the food chain.

Researchers say that implementing comprehensive measures that protect human, animal, and environmental health together will play a critical role in preventing antibiotics from losing their effectiveness in the future.