Cyprus has recorded a 275.5 per cent increase in bloodstream infections caused by Enterobacterales resistant to carbapenem antibiotics, placing it fourth among EU countries facing this growing healthcare threat.

According to an updated report from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), Hungary leads with a 744.4 per cent increase, followed by Sweden with 300 per cent and Croatia with 277.5 per cent.

The ECDC warned of the urgent need to curb the inter-hospital and inter-regional spread of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE), which pose a severe risk to patients and healthcare systems across Europe.

“In fact, according to an updated ECDC risk assessment, the epidemiological situation has been deteriorating since 2019,” it added.

ECDC said “carbapenem-resistant K pneumoniae bloodstream infections have surged in 23 EU member states, driven by the continued spread of multidrug-resistant high-risk lineages in hospitals.”

“In addition, some K pneumoniae lineages that are more likely to cause severe diseases have also become resistant to carbapenems, including the hypervirulent lineage K pneumoniae ST23.

“Newly emerging carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales species (other than K pneumoniae) are also spreading in hospitals,” it said.

Furthermore, “isolates and small clusters of certain carbapenem-resistant E coli strains are increasingly being detected, posing a risk for spread in the community,” it added.

“These findings indicate a high probability of further spread of CRE in the EU/EEA, both in hospital settings and in community, a worrying trend since CRE infections are linked to high mortality. Even though several new antibiotics are available, treatment options remain limited. Immediate action is essential to control this problem and protect patients from infections that are becoming increasingly difficult to treat,” ECDC chief scientist Piotr Kramarz said.

Despite the importance of infection prevention and control (IPC) measures, the ECDC noted that their implementation in many hospitals remains suboptimal, making it difficult to contain the high-risk CRE strains.

“Enhanced and coordinated efforts are therefore urgently required in all EU/EEA countries to address the inter-hospital and inter-regional spread of CRE,” the ECDC stressed.

The agency stressed the need for stronger national coordination between hospitals and regions, the implementation of enhanced IPC measures in hospitals, and a renewed focus on antimicrobial stewardship to preserve the effectiveness of carbapenems and newly approved antibiotics.

The ECDC urged all EU and EEA countries, along with healthcare institutions, to intensify their efforts to combat the worsening epidemiological situation. It emphasised the need for immediate action to mitigate the risk of further CRE spread and to protect both patients and the wider community.