Antibiotic Rx rates up

ANTIBIOTIC prescription rates in Australia are among the highest in the world with the rates of use increasing by 230% in the last decade, according to a report published in the Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health.

The findings come from the Barwon Infant Study, a birth cohort study being conducted as a partnership between the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Barwon Health and Deakin University.

Antibiotic resistance is a global health emergency, the authors wrote, saying avoiding unnecessary antibiotic use in babies and children is “essential to reduce antibiotic resistance and other potential long term adverse effects of antibiotics”.

The researchers found 50% of the babies studied had at least one antibiotic prescription in the first year of life, much higher than almost all comparable industrialised countries.

One in eight infants received three or more antibiotic prescriptions.

Australia’s antibiotic prescription rate is almost 150% higher than the UK, and almost 500% higher than Switzerland.

Children with siblings were more likely to be prescribed antibiotics, but antibiotics were being used “for common infections, which are often due to viruses, where antibiotics are unnecessary and ineffective”.

Authors recommended interventions aimed at addressing avoidable prescribing by medical practitioners to reduce antibiotic use - CLICK HERE for the study.