Adnkronos (Adnkronos) – Gli esperti le definiscono una ‘pandemia silenziosa’, guardando alle proiezioni (non rosee) per i prossimi anni. Sono le infezioni correlate all’assistenza (Ica), ‘tallone d’achille’ dei sistemi sanitari, anche quelli più moderni. Ancora più pericolose quando a innescarle è un super batterio resistente agli antibiotici. L’emergenza è da tempo sotto i riflettori delle autorità sanitarie a livello mondiale.
E anche l’Italia fronteggia il problema: nel nostro Paese si stima che ogni anno si verifichino circa 500mila infezioni ospedaliere l’anno, con un terzo dei casi sostenuto da patogeni resistenti agli antibiotici. Sono alcuni dei dati al centro dell’incontro che riunisce oggi a Roma, all’auditorium Biagio D’Alba del ministero della Salute, istituzioni, esperti di igiene e sanità pubblica, professionisti clinici e rappresentanti del mondo accademico, con l’obiettivo di delineare strategie concrete per il contrasto di un fenomeno internazionale che in Italia registra numeri ancora più allarmanti.
La Penisola tricolore mantiene infatti il primato europeo per incidenza e mortalità da microrganismi antibiotico‑resistenti, con almeno 11mila decessi annui, ricordano gli esperti, pari a un terzo del totale europeo.
La prevalenza delle Ica nei reparti per acuti si attesta al 6–8%, mentre nelle terapie intensive raggiunge punte del 20%. L’impatto economico sul Ssn è stimato in 783 milioni di euro l’anno. Questi i numeri, alla luce dei quali il sottosegretario alla Salute, Marcello Gemmato, rimarca la necessità di un cambio di rotta nelle politiche di sicurezza e prevenzione delle infezioni, valorizzando il nuovo Piano attuativo nazionale.
In this context, "antimicrobial resistance is the main critical issue facing the National Health System," explains pharmacologist Francesca De Plato, head of hospital pharmacy at the Teramo Local Health Authority, an expert in biological and chemical risks in healthcare environments, disinfection, personal protective equipment, and antimicrobial stewardship. "The negative consequences are both direct and indirect, potentially impacting health conditions or preventing timely therapeutic interventions in other conditions, irreversibly compromising outcomes and significantly altering life expectancy (not to mention the dramatic impact on healthcare costs)," she warns. The issue of superbugs highlights the urgency of ensuring proper and informed management of the tools available to doctors to control these infections: "The selective pressure exerted by the excessive or inappropriate use of antibiotics, combined with the extraordinary evolutionary capacity of bacteria, accelerates the emergence of superbugs," observes De Plato. "Understanding the molecular mechanisms and control strategies is essential to preserving the effectiveness of antibiotics, drugs that have changed the history of humanity, and to designing programs capable of significantly modifying the approach to antibiotic therapy."
During the three sessions of the conference "Infections in Healthcare: Prevention, Pharmacological Treatment, and Responsibility," experts emphasize how the majority of healthcare-associated infections are preventable through rigorous measures to prevent infection, as well as through control, surveillance, and proper antibiotic management. A key element is the "One Health" approach, which integrates human, animal, and environmental health, and the urgent need to strengthen a culture of prevention among healthcare workers and the public.
Antibiotic resistance is not a future problem, but a present one, with approximately 14 deaths annually due to the lack of therapeutic alternatives, Gemmato recalled, emphasizing the importance of the sustainability of the National Health Service, established in 1978 for a society very different from today: today, Italy has one of the longest-lived populations, with a high incidence of chronic conditions, and new critical issues such as HAIs and antibiotic resistance represent an additional burden. The government has activated the "push and pull" mechanism to support research and access to reserve antibiotics, allocating €100 million in the budget law and funding the National Plan to Combat Antibiotic Resistance (PNCAR) with additional resources, the undersecretary reiterated, also highlighting the progress made in the veterinary sector, with electronic prescriptions and the 47% reduction in antibiotic use in livestock farming. Gemmato emphasizes the need to improve clinical practices: correct microbiological diagnosis, appropriate use of antibiotics, and the adoption of effective disinfection techniques. The message is that improving healthcare performance also means reducing costs, because appropriate care avoids hospitalizations and financial burdens.
health/healthcare
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