Huge disparities in antibiotic consumption across European region, new report shows

There is an almost fourfold difference between the lowest and the highest antibiotic users among 42 countries and regions in the WHO European Region (within and outside the European Union), according to new report published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases on March 20.

This is the first study to release data on total antibiotic consumption for countries outside the European Union and provide a clear picture of the use of different groups of antibiotics.

"Antibiotic overuse and misuse are the most important factors in creating resistance. That is why mapping consumption is the first step in identifying and tackling this growing public health problem," says Zsuzsanna Jakab, WHO regional director for Europe, adding: "As antibiotic resistance respects no borders, the work we are doing in the non-EU part of the Region adds enormous value to existing EU data and action."