Europe far from target to reduce antibiotics consumption by 2030: Report

By Nur Asena Erturk

ANKARA (AA) – Europe is far from its target to reduce the consumption of antibiotics by 2030, the EU disease prevention agency revealed on Friday.

"Over 35,000 people die annually from infections resistant to antibiotics in the European Union (EU), Iceland, and Norway," the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control said in a report, which it published on the occasion of the European Antibiotic Awareness Day, which falls on Nov. 18.

The total consumption of antibiotics has decreased by 2.5% between 2019 and 2022, which falls short of the 20% reduction target by 2030, the report said.

The highest increases in consumption were recorded in Bulgaria (24.1%), Malta (15.7%) and Lithuania (13.5%) in between 2019 and 2022, while the consumption decreased mostly in Finland (14.9%), Luxembourg (9.9%) and Austria (9.5%) in the same period.

Germany did not provide any data, according to the report.