While there has been no change in the percentage of bacteria in the Netherlands that are insensitive to antibiotics, an increasing number of highly resistant bacteria are being found, public health institute RIVM said on Monday.

This, the agency said, means officials must now focus on antimicrobial resistance and make sure that antibiotics are being used properly.

“Certain strains of bacteria known as ‘exceptionally resistant bacteria’ are insensitive to various antibiotics,” the RIVM said.

“These bacteria are not susceptible to anti-microbials that are used when other antibiotics do not work. These exceptionally resistant bacteria are regularly found in people who have been admitted to hospital in other countries and infections caused by these bacteria are difficult to treat.”

Last year family doctors prescribed antibiotics at about the same level as they did in 2019, before the coronavirus pandemic, but they are being used slightly more in hospitals.

Nevertheless, compared to other European countries, antibiotic resistance in humans is still relatively low in the Netherlands, the RIVM said.