The World Health Organization has published a new report. It discusses resistance to medications. Professor Tanel Tenson from the University of Tartu says the situation is getting worse.
Poor regions, such as Africa, are in particularly bad shape. Climate change is disrupting drinking water and sewage. This increases the spread of diseases. Professor Tenson explains that people travel a lot. They can bring diseases with them.
Estonia is also affected by the war in Ukraine. There is a lot of resistant tuberculosis there. Soldiers get injured and are treated in poor conditions. This could bring resistance to Estonia as well.
Estonia lacks a good data collection system. We don’t know exactly how much resistance is coming from Ukraine. Professor Tenson is concerned.
Antibiotics are used both in humans and animals. Estonia uses few antibiotics in veterinary medicine. Since 2014, this amount has decreased.
Pets are treated with the same medications as humans. This is not always good. Marju Sammul, a specialist from the State Agency of Medicines, says animals should have different treatments.
The study on pets is just beginning. More precise data will be available in 2029. Then, all European countries must collect resistance data.