The figures of bacterial resistance in Spain exceed the European average of 15 percent, standing at around 18. In addition they have increased by five points compared to 2005. This has been shown in the joint table AEMPS-SEIMC “Plans to fight against bacterial resistance in Europe “, in which it has also been commented that, if this trend continues, bacterial resistance could overcome cancer as a cause of death in 2050.
Antonio López, coordinator of the National Plan against Resistance to Antibiotics (PRAN) 2019-2021, stated that, in the new plan approved in March by the full Interterritorial Health Council, it is necessary to implement the Programs for the Optimization of the Use of Antibiotics (PROA), as well as promoting Programs for the Prevention of Infections Related to Health Care (IRAS) in all the Autonomous Communities.
In addition, he added that the preliminary analysis of the 2018 data confirms that between 2015 and 2018 there was a 7.2% reduction in the consumption of antibiotics in Spain in the field of human health. “This is a very significant advance that coincides with the implementation period of the first PRAN, launched in 2014. These figures confirm the usefulness of the work carried out so far in the framework of this plan and confirm that we are on the right track “He pointed out.
One of the conclusions of the intervention of the socialist MEP Soledad Cabezón is that this risk is not only a health problem, but also an expenditure of 1,500 million euros a year in the European Union (EU). In this regard, he recalled that recently the EU took forward its own strategy, under the title Action Plan 2017-2020, 'One-Health', which is still pending implementation. For this reason, it is key, as stated by Soledad Cabezón, that the national plans have binding indicators and are financed. He also recalled that in mid-June the European Council will present the conclusions of a document to outline the next measures, which propose “more research for new vaccines”, “development of national teams to follow the action plans” and “open the door to possible regulations on the use, prescription and sale of antibiotics, “he said.
Second record about multi-resistant bacteria
José Ramón Paño, of the Infectious Diseases Service of the Lozano Blesa University Clinical Hospital of Zaragoza, presented the data of the second SEIMC Registry on multiresistant bacteria (BMR), which estimates that by 2019 more than 220,000 people in Spain will suffer an infection by a bacterium multiresistant and that more than 26,000 of these people will die in the 30 days following this diagnosis. According to the study, the most common infections caused by BMR are urinary infection (41.9%), skin and soft tissue infection (9.8%), diarrhea (9.7%), intra-abdominal infection (8%) and pneumonia. (7.1%).
All these questions corroborate the magnitude of the problem and, as stated by José Miguel Cisneros, president of the SEIMC, confirm the need for the PRAN to have specific economic resources, in addition to the urgent need to create the specialty of infectious diseases for to face this complicated situation in Spain, which is at the forefront of the world consumption of antibiotics, without any epidemiological reason that justifies it.