Drug-resistant bacteria are dangerously widespread in Ukraine

When Pte Oleksander Bezverkhny was evacuated to Feofaniya Hospital in Kyiv, few believed he would live. The 27-year-old had severe abdominal injuries and shrapnel had grazed his buttocks. Both legs were amputated.

Then, doctors discovered that her infection was resistant to commonly used antibiotics – and the already daunting task of saving her life became almost hopeless.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is when bacteria evolve and learn how to defend themselves against antibiotics and other drugs, rendering them ineffective.

Ukraine is far from the only country affected by this problem: around 1.4 million people globally will die from AMR infection in 2021, and in the UK there will be 66,730 serious antibiotic-resistant infections in 2023. However, the war seems to have accelerated the spread of the pathogenic virus multi-resistant in Ukraine.

Clinics treating war wounds have registered a sharp increase in AMR cases. More than 80% of all patients treated at Feofaniya Hospital have infections caused by microbes that are resistant to antibiotics, according to deputy chief physician Dr. Andriy Strokan.

Ironically, antimicrobial resistant infections often originate from medical facilities.

Medical staff try to follow strict hygiene protocols and use protective equipment to minimize the spread of these infections but facilities can be overwhelmed by war-wounded people.

Dr. Volodymyr Dubyna, head of the ICU of Mechnikov Hospital, said that since the beginning of the Russian invasion his own unit has increased the number of beds from 16 to 50. Meanwhile, with many employees fleeing the war or joining the military itself, staffing. lower level.

Dr. Strokan explained that these conditions can affect the spread of AMR bacteria. “In the surgery department there is one nurse who takes care of 15-20 patients,” he said. “He is physically unable to rub his hands in the amount and frequency necessary to avoid spreading the infection.”