Slovaks consume fewer antibiotics, but resistance is rising

Although the consumption of antibiotics in Slovakia is falling, resistance against them is on the rise.

The biggest consumers are children and youth, said Adriána Liptáková from the Health Ministry.

“Bacteria are very adaptable, so they started creating ways to deactivate antibiotics that become ineffective and, at the same time, damage our intestinal flora,” she said, as quoted by the SITA newswire. “The results are serious inflammatory bowel diseases and various allergies.”

The most endangered patients are children, who consume nearly twice as many antibiotics a year compared to patients from other age groups, she added. As a result, they can later suffer from various chronic inflammable diseases.