Antibiotic prescriptions in Spain among highest levels in world

SPAIN is among the countries with the highest levels of antibiotic prescription in the world, according to experts.

Newly-released data showed Spain consumed almost three times the number of antibiotics of the Netherlands, at 25.1 doses per 1,000 inhabitants compared to 10.1 per 1,000.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) warned unnecessary prescriptions of the medication could lead to antibiotic resistance, while the European Centre for the Prevention and Control of Diseases (ECDC), claimed a total of 33,000 people die annually as a result of infections caused by resistant bacteria. The figure stands at 3,000 in Spain alone.