ANU research reveals the countries most at risk from superbugs 

The threat posed by superbugs to travellers from countries around the globe has been revealed in a new study from The Australian National University (ANU).  

International travel plays a pivotal role in the global spread of superbugs.  

To better understand the impact of this, ANU Professor Peter Collignon and co-author Dr John Beggs measured the toll on 241 countries. 

“This study is the first to quantify this “bi-directional” risk on a global scale – looking at both travellers who pick a superbug up while overseas and bring it home and those who carry a bug with them to another country,” Professor Collignon said. 

“While travel offers huge social and economic benefits, it also presents clear challenges for disease control. Measuring the risk is the first step towards more effective mitigation. 

“The stark differences that showed up from country to country also show the need for greater public awareness.” 

Northern Europe and Western Europe were the two regions most at risk of residents travelling abroad and bringing back superbugs.  

The region with the highest risk of infection from visiting travellers was the Caribbean. 

Closer to home, New Zealand was near the top of the list when it came to overall impact from superbugs. Amongst countries with a population of over five million people, New Zealand was third behind Hong Kong and Denmark. 

“Australia and New Zealand have similar travel patterns for inbound and outbound tourists,” Dr Beggs said. 

“But the tourism sector is relatively larger in New Zealand, leading to a greater burden from disease spread through travel.” 

The authors used E. coli in their modelling. E. coli is the most common bacterial pathogen that infects people and causes serious disease. But according to the study’s authors, there are things travellers can do to limit the risk of infection.  

“Travellers to high-risk regions where superbugs are more readily acquired through food, water or human contact should follow standard precautions,” Professor Collignon said. 

“This includes taking extra care with the water you’re drinking, eating only thoroughly cooked food, avoiding raw produce unless properly washed and practising good hand hygiene – including using hand sanitiser.

“These measures not only reduce the risk of illness but also the likelihood of carrying resistant strains home.”

The study is published in the journal Antibiotics.