Rest up and stop asking for antibiotics, advise health experts

The super drug for superbugs is losing its effectiveness as inappropriate prescriptions for antibiotics continue to pile up.

Antibiotic resistance may be deadly – and, if left uncurbed, it is likely to kill more people than cancer and diabetes combined by the time we reach 2050.

Each year, an estimated 5,000 people in the UK die because of antibiotics. For every four in 10 cases of bloodstream E. coli infections, first-choice antibiotics are no longer effective.

In view of the growing resistance of antibiotics, the National Health Services (NHS) is urging patients to rest up instead of expecting unneeded antibiotic prescriptions.

By Jenny Maganran Goh, 01/11/2017