Antibiotics used to recover quickly when sick... Increase in infections of 'this' with high mortality rate

As the medication becomes stronger, viruses and bacteria also...

Getting stronger and upgrading, tsk tsk tsk

The number of cases infected with 'superbugs' resistant to antibiotics exceeded 40,000 last year. About 8 out of 10 infected individuals were elderly in their 60s or older.

 

According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency on the 19th, the number of reported cases of 'carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) infections' last year was a total of 42,827 (provisional). This represents an 11.5% increase compared to 38,405 cases in 2023.

 

CRE infections are caused by Enterobacteriaceae species that exhibit resistance to at least one carbapenem antibiotic, and recently, the number of infected cases has been rapidly increasing both domestically and internationally.

 

The number of reports was ▲2018: 11,954 cases, ▲2019: 15,369 cases, ▲2020: 18,113 cases, ▲2021: 23,311 cases, ▲2022: 35,048 cases, ▲2023: 38,405 cases. Last year, compared to 2018, it increased approximately 3.6 times over six years.

 

The reason CRE infections are dangerous is because the mortality rate is approximately 26% to 75%. This is because they are resistant to antibiotics, limiting the available antibiotics for treatment.

 

The number of deaths due to CRE infections increased rapidly. By year, the numbers were 143 in 2018, 203 in 2019, 226 in 2020, 277 in 2021, 539 in 2022, and 661 in 2023, showing an upward trend. Last year, only from January to June, 439 people died from CRE infections.

 

The main cause of this infectious disease is the overuse of antibiotics. Although our country's medical institutions are reducing antibiotic prescriptions, the level is still higher than most countries in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

 

According to the OECD, as of 2021, South Korea's antibiotic usage was 16 DDDs (Defined Daily Doses, the assumed average daily dose per medication) per 1,000 people, which is 2.9 DDDs higher than the OECD average of 13.1 DDDs across 38 countries.

 

The proportion of antibiotic prescriptions for colds caused by viral infections (acute upper respiratory infections) steadily decreased from 73.3% in 2002 to 32.4% in 2022, but increased again to 41.4% in 2023 due to influenza outbreaks.

 

The increase in the elderly population and the growing use of medical institutions such as nursing hospitals are also identified as main causes of the rise in CRE infections. This is because CRE infections are primarily transmitted through direct or indirect contact with infected patients or carriers of the pathogen within medical facilities. In fact, over 80% of all infected individuals last year were aged 60 and above.

 

Related to this, Kim Nam-hee, a member of the National Assembly's Health and Welfare Committee from the Democratic Party, said, "Infections caused by multi-drug resistant bacteria in medical institutions and resulting deaths are also related to the reality of our country's medical facilities, which are focused on multi-bed rooms and lack nursing staff," and added, "Reforming the hospital room structure, such as reducing the number of patients per nurse, and expanding nursing staff are necessary."

Kwon Nayeon Reporter kny0621@nongmin.com