UK public ‘uneducated on responsible antibiotic usage’

Many members of the British public do not understand key issues pertaining to antibiotic use, according to a new study from Public Health England.

Issued to coincide with European Antibiotic Awareness Day, the figures show that four in ten people take antibiotics to treat a cough or runny nose, despite both conditions normally clearing up without treatment.

Moreover, 90 percent of people are not aware bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics spread easily from person to person, while more than one in seven do not realise that healthy people can carry these bacteria.

Other findings from the survey of 1,625 adults suggest that many people mistakenly believe antibiotics can be used to treat fungal infections and allergic reactions, work as anti-inflammatory medication and can weaken the immune system.

Such misconceptions are leading to overuse of these crucial treatments, resulting in the development of antibiotic-resistant superbugs that pose a serious public health hazard.

Chief medical officer Dame Sally Davies said: "We need to preserve the antibiotics we have, otherwise we could see the end of modern medicine as we know it. This is about appropriate prescribing by GPs and patients being aware when antibiotics are really needed."