In sub-Saharan Africa, antibiotic-resistant bacteria are exploding
Two meta-analyses reveal the alarming burden of antibiotic resistance on children in sub-Saharan Africa. The authors propose ways to improve the situation.
In sub-Saharan Africa, children are very frequently treated with antibiotics upon admission to hospital, even in the absence of a clear indication of a bacterial infection. Image: Adobestock
The rate of children carrying multidrug-resistant bacterial strains in sub-Saharan Africa is worrying, according to two studies published in the journal eClinicalMedicine of the month of April. Led by Annick Galetto-Lacour and Noémie Wagner, respectively associate professor and privat-docent in the Department of Pediatrics, Gynecology and Obstetrics (Faculty of Medicine), the analyzes focused on enterobacteria responsible for the majority of invasive infections in newborns. born in this region. The first study shows that 41% of bacteria Escherichia coli and 85% of Klebsiella found in the blood of children during infections are multi-drug resistant. The second reveals that a third of children are colonized by enterobacteria resistant to cephalosporins.
Countries in sub-Saharan Africa have the highest rate of deaths attributed to bacterial resistance to antibiotics. It exceeds 100 deaths per 100,000 people in certain states. In particular, 30% of newborns with sepsis, a serious inflammatory reaction following a blood infection, die due to antibiotic resistance. Despite these estimates, there is little epidemiological data on the incidence of this scourge in children. However, they are crucial for developing appropriate treatments.
