Off the wire
• Shanghai SIPG' s Gyan nominated for top sports awards in Ghana  • China shocked by South Korea, suffering first absence of Thomas Cup's semis  • Spanish stock market falls 1.14 pct, closes at 8,674 points  • 2016 Thomas and Uber Cups results  • South Sudan replaces foreign curricula with own one  • UN honors fallen peacekeepers ahead of int'l day  • Equity, Safaricom shares attract foreign buys at Nairobi bourse  • Arbitration tribunal has no jurisdiction over South China Sea issue: expert  • Feature: Sri Lanka mourns as hopes fade to find landslide survivors  • Feature: Kenyan slum youth eye jobs in Chinese firms to transform their lives  
You are here: 　 Home

Denmark urges increased EU action against antibiotic-resistant bacteria

Xinhua, May 20, 2016 Adjust font size:

Danish Minister for Environment and Food Esben Lunde Larsen on Thursday called for an increased EU action against antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

"Antibiotic resistance does not respect borders, and therefore it is important that the EU stay united in the fight against resistance," Larsen said in a statement.

He also proposed to visiting EU Health Commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis that detailed monitoring of antibiotic consumption for livestock be included in future initiatives from the European Commission when a possible new action plan is launched later this year.

For more than 20 years, Denmark has been monitoring development in antibiotic-resistant bacteria and the consumption of antibiotics at farms and at hospitals.

According to the Danish Ministry of Environment and Food, Denmark has succeeded in reducing antibiotic consumption in livestock by about 20 percent since 2009.

Larsen and Andriukaitis on Thursday visited Denmark's National Serum Institute where the Danish model for combating antibiotic resistance was presented.

The Danish experience shows that systematic monitoring is an effective tool for keeping down consumption.

"Antibiotics should be used with care, so that we can continue to cure life-threatening diseases. What is needed is that all EU member states begin to monitor systematically their antibiotic consumption for animals," said Larsen.

Each year, more than 25,000 Europeans die from infection due to antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The European Commission's five-year action plan against resistance to antibiotics will end in autumn 2016, and is expected to be replaced with new initiatives. Enditem