Resistance to antibiotics costing Malta €3m a year

Malta, where up to 35 people could die every year from a bacterial infection, has one of the highest economic burdens of antimicrobial resistance in Europe, a consultation meeting heard.

More than €3 million is spent every year on infections caused by Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). If this trends continues, the cost could more than double over the next decade.

However, if preventive measures were taken, the expenditure could be slashed, according to Michael Borg, chair of the National Antibiotic Committee. 

Read: Fewer Maltese take antibiotics, but use is still high

Resistant bacterial infections develop rapidly, and what was once considered a superbug, MRSA, nowadays “pales” against an increasingly prevalent super-bug known as CRE. 

At times, the only treatment that works on CRE is Colistin, a last resort antibiotic for life-threatening infections, whose side effects could include damage to the patient’s kidneys.

CRE is an increasing challenge across Europe, however Malta has one of the highest levels, alongside Italy, Greece, Turkey and Cyprus, Prof. Borg noted.

He was speaking at a meeting with...