Concern over antibiotic use

A STUDY has found that Spanish children are being prescribed more antibiotics than many other countries.

The study was carried out by the Foundation for the Promotion of Sanitary and Biomedical Research of the Region of Valencia (FISABIO), which is attached to the Department of Health, together with a consortium of German, Italian, Norwegian, Korean and American scientists.

They followed more than 74 million children from birth to 18 between 2008 and 2012 in what the Valencian Government is calling the first and longest study ever carried out on antibiotic use between countries.

The results suggested that in the first two years of life, Spanish youngsters were being given up to 50 per cent more antibiotics than the Germans and Americans. The study found South Korea most frequently prescribed antibiotics followed by Italy and Spain, with Norway the lowest.

The concern is that over use of antibiotics can make youngsters become resistant to them and inappropriate use can lead to more problems.

FISABIO warned there needs to be more social awareness on the use of antibiotics in Spain and paediatricians should be the first to act by reducing the number of prescriptions issued.

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