Antibiotics save lives and represent safety –

Letter to the editor

It has been obvious, but with antibiotic resistance on the rise, more people will soon die from ineffective antibiotics than from cancer. So it is time for common EU legislation.

Every year about 35 thousand people die in Europe due to the ineffectiveness of antibiotics. The reasons for this are many. It is related to the overuse of antibiotics in both humans and animals. It has to do with the unnecessary use of strong antibiotics, as well as a lack of hygiene procedures.

Sweden is one of the European countries that has come a long way in working against antibiotic resistance. In healthcare, basic hygiene measures with hand sanitizer and the correct use of protective clothing are the most important weapons, to protect against the spread of resistant bacteria and against unnecessary infections. Unnecessary infections lead to unnecessary use of antibiotics. Other important measures include providing information to prescribers and patients as well as measuring and monitoring antibiotic use.

Antibiotics are a vital medicine in cancer treatments, organ transplants and operations, because these treatments carry an increased risk of infection. When a patient cannot be treated with antibiotics, the infection becomes more difficult or impossible to treat. That is, the patient dies.

Antibiotic resistance threatens modern healthcare. It threatens human and animal health and our environment. The issue of antibiotic resistance requires increased cooperation because the problems are cross-border and global. It is time for binding common legislation in the EU to eliminate overuse and unnecessary spread of infection. Save the antibiotics!

Malin Gabrielsson, Vastmanland Regional Council Councilor, EU candidate for KD 18th position