Divided in all things
February 10, 2009
Across Europe lies what is called the "Antibiotic border". South of the border in the Romantic countries (France, Spain, Italy, etc) antibiotic use is very high, while north of the border in the Germanic countries (the Netherlands, Germany, Scandinavia, etc) antibiotic use is halved. This provides a differential selective pressure for antibiotic resistance, and indeed in southern Europe 25% of Streptococcus pneumonia infections are antibiotic resistant, while in northern Europe only 5% are antibiotic resistant. In what may be no surprise to Belgians, this "Antibiotic border" runs straight through Belgium along the language border, with the Flemish having lower antibiotic use and resistance and the Walloons having higher antibiotic use and resistance. Exactly why is the cause for much arguments (are the Walloons overly demanding for medication? Or is it a relic of coal mining and industrial history giving more frequent lung infections in the south?), but it is interesting that in this, as in many other things, Belgium is divided.
|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
Create a free TravBuddy account or login to leave comments, meet travelers, and share experiences with the TravBuddy travel community.
