Time to stop the casual use of antibiotics

This week is Antibiotic Awareness Week, and its main message is that people should seek expert advice before using antimicrobials.

We have all seen it, and many of us have even been guilty of it. A sick child, a sore throat, a trip to the doctor - and a prescription for an antibiotic. The problem is that many antibiotics are prescribed when, most likely, the malady is caused by a virus - not a bacterial infection - and thus they will have no effect on the malady, let alone cure it.

A similar pattern is seen in livestock production and agriculture. Rather than using antibiotics to treat bacterial illnesses, they are too often used as a safeguard or preventative measure to ensure farm animals don't get sick.