Who Regional Office for Europe

Tackling Antibiotic Resistance from a Food Safety Perspective in Europe Who Regional Office for Europe

Antibiotics have revolutionized the treatment of infectious diseases in humans. But their use in food animals, not only for treatment, but also for disease prevention and growth promotion, has resulted in the development and spread of antibiotic resistance. This is now a significant public health problem: each year in the European Union alone, over 25,000 people die from infections caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

This publication explores the options for prevention and containment of antibiotic resistance through both national coordination and international cooperation, including the regulation and reduction of the use of antibiotics in food animals, training and capacity building, surveillance of resistance trends, promotion of knowledge and research, and advocacy and communication to raise awareness of the issues.

This publication is primarily intended for policy-makers and authorities working in the public health, agriculture, food production and veterinary sectors, and offers them ways to take a holistic, intersectoral, multifaceted approach to this growing problem.