An analysis by the Australian Prescriber has shown that antibiotics used to treat minor illnesses commonly occurring in the Hunter in the cooler winter months may be causing more harm than they are worth.
Professor of Public Health at Bond University, Chris Del Mar, says the risks of antibiotic resistance from overuse greatly outweigh any marginal benefits.
"If you have resistant genes, it means that the antibiotics for which the bacteria has resistance to won't work," says Professor Del Mar.
"We are now beginning to realise that antibiotic resistance, in a couple of decades, will be killing more people than all the cancers combined. By 2050, we think there is going to be something like 10,000,000 people dying every year from antibiotic resistance."
"Doctors and their patients need to think much more about the benefits and harms of antibiotics for common acute respiratory infections like sore throat and acute sinusitis. We should be conserving our antibiotics for times when we really need them."
For further information, please visit www.nps.org.au/australian-prescriber
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| Source: The Telegraph |
