Experts raise alarm over declining effect of last-line antibiotics

European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control says resistance of some strains of bacteria is growing

Last-line antibiotics against serious pneumonia and bloodstream infections are under real threat in Europe as resistant strains of bacteria emerge, experts are warning.

A new report from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) reveals that resistance has continued to increase across Europe in spite of attempts to raise global awareness of the danger to the fundamentally important antibiotic class of drugs. Without them, some infectious diseases could become untreatable and some forms of major surgery would again become perilous.