Antbiotic infection risk

WOMEN who take antibiotics during pregnancy have children who have a 20 per cent higher risk of being hospitalised with infections.

Researchers believe the medication may disturb the mother’s microbiome, the good bugs in the gut, which she passes on to her baby when it is born, helping to build its immune system.

The Murdoch Children’s Research Institute and Aarhus University of Denmark study analysed more than 700,000 children. Around 18 per cent of women, more than 141,000, had at least one antibiotic prescription during pregnancy.

They found taking antibiotics closer to the birth or having multiple courses increased the child’s risk of being hospitalised with infections such as gastroenteritis and pneumonia.