Policy

The health and economic impact of multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria has continuously grown over the past years, reaching an estimated peak of approximately 700 000 attributable deaths per year.

 

Neglected hygiene, poor compliance with infection control procedures, inappropriate antimicrobial use, and insufficient availability of diagnostics and new effective antibiotics have contributed to this inglorious global record.

 

Despite these alarming figures, infection prevention and treatment have not been considered top priorities on the agendas of most industrialised countries.

 

This mindset changed abruptly with the emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).