Despite a slight decline in prescribed antibiotic doses over the past eight years, Belgium continues to be one of the highest consumers of antibiotics in Europe, sparking renewed concerns about the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance.
Health experts are warning that if current trends persist, the number of deaths linked to resistant infections will rise, posing a major public health risk.
An analysis of antibiotic use between July 2016 and June 2024, conducted among 2.3 million members of the three Independent Health Insurance Funds, reveals that while antibiotic consumption has decreased slightly, it remains well above the European average.
Belgium currently stands at almost 18 standard daily doses per 1,000 inhabitants per day, a level that has returned to pre-pandemic figures.
The use of antibiotics in Belgium remains a concern, with one in three policyholders of the health insurance companies receiving reimbursed antibiotics during the period from summer 2023 to June 2024.
Health experts from the Independent Health Insurance Funds emphasize that, although there was a gradual reduction in use during the study period, Belgium’s antibiotic consumption still exceeds that of many other OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries.
Antibiotics are essential for treating bacterial infections, but their overuse can contribute to antibiotic resistance, a phenomenon that occurs when bacteria evolve to resist the effects of drugs that once killed them.
This resistance is becoming an increasingly serious issue worldwide, and according to the OECD, one in five infections in member countries are already resistant to antibiotics.
In Belgium, that figure is slightly better but still concerning, with one in 11 infections being resistant. The elderly and young children are particularly vulnerable to infections that cannot be treated effectively due to resistance.
“Without efficient and global action, simple infections can become untreatable, and routine surgeries can become more complicated due to a lack of infection prevention,” experts warn.
In OECD countries, antibiotic resistance already accounts for 79,000 deaths annually, and the number is expected to rise if no further action is taken.
Despite numerous efforts to curb antibiotic overuse, Belgium has failed to meet several of its targets. Health organizations had set a goal to reduce antibiotic use by 40% compared to 2019 in order to preserve the effectiveness of these critical drugs.
However, that target was not achieved, and efforts to reserve antibiotics for situations where standard treatments fail or are inadequate have also fallen short.
Furthermore, Belgium failed to reduce the use of quinolones, antibiotics often prescribed for serious infections, to 5% of total antibiotic consumption, as well as to increase the use of amoxicillin over amoxicillin-clavulanic acid to an 80/20 ratio.
One success has been the increased use of antibiotics in the ‘Access’ category, which are effective against common pathogens and show lower potential for resistance. By 2024, 69% of antibiotics used in Belgium belonged to this category, surpassing the original target of 65%.
Experts are calling for stronger measures to address antibiotic overuse, including stricter regulation of prescriptions, increased public awareness about preventing infections, and educating citizens on the risks of improper antibiotic use.
They urge the government to intensify efforts to combat antimicrobial resistance before it reaches a crisis point that could lead to countless preventable deaths.
In conclusion, while Belgium has made some progress in reducing antibiotic use, it still has a long way to go in addressing the growing threat of resistance.
Health experts are calling on the government and citizens to act now to ensure that antibiotics remain effective for future generations.
