GPs 'Must Stop' Overuse Of Antibiotics

GPs prescribe antibiotics to almost all patients who request them despite the practice increasing resistance to such drugs, a new study suggests.

The findings come amid growing fears that overuse of antibiotics could render them redundant and unable to tackle serious infections, such as hospital bugs.

About 25,000 patients die every year across the European Union from infections caused by bacteria which have grown resistant to antimicrobial medicines, including antibiotics.

The research, commissioned by the Health Protection Agency (HPA), showed 97% of patients said their GP or nurse put them on a course of antibiotics the last time they asked for a prescription.   More