Children in sub-Saharan Africa are increasingly carrying bacteria resistant to antibiotics. Recent studies carried out by the University Hospitals of Geneva (HUG) and the University of Geneva (Unige) reveal an alarming situation. The cause: excessive use of antibiotics, which has led to a proliferation of multi-resistant bacteria, particularly enterobacteria.
This situation seriously threatens public health and endangers the lives of many children.
A growing problem: resistant enterobacteria
Enterobacteriaceae, often responsible for severe infections such as typhoid fever, show worrying resistance to antibiotics. The first HUG study aimed to assess this proportion in children. The results are staggering: a large majority of young patients treated for various infections are found to be carriers of these resistant bacteria.
Third generation cephalosporins: a dead end
The second study by HUG and Unige focused on the prevalence of enterobacteria resistant to cephalosporins, third-generation antibiotics. Nearly a third of the children tested carried these bacteria. This is all the more worrying as cephalosporins are often one of the last therapeutic options available.
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The massive use of antibiotics: a vicious circle and its disastrous consequences
Between 83% and 100% of children hospitalized in sub-Saharan Africa receive antibiotic treatments, often upon admission and sometimes without solid justification. More than half of children who enter the hospital without resistant bacteria leave infected. This situation creates a vicious circle: the more antibiotics are used, the more resistance increases, making infections more and more difficult to treat.
The lack of therapeutic alternatives in the event of antibiotic failure worsens the situation. Bacterial infections remain the leading cause of death among children in this region. Professor Annick Galetto-Lacour emphasizes that access to complementary tests, often expensive and rare, could allow more targeted use of antibiotics, but these resources are insufficient.
Solutions: towards better management of antibiotics
Antibiotic resistance represents a growing threat to public health. To combat it, it is important to promote the judicious use of antibiotics, in accordance with medical prescriptions, and to limit their unnecessary use. Strengthening hygiene measures is also essential to limit the transmission of infections. The NGO Médecins Sans Frontières has developed a mini-clinical bacteriology laboratory, transportable and affordable, which could help better target the use of antibiotics.
