Experts states- Penicillin prescriptions at risk of under-dosing children

According to a research conducted jointly by the King's College London, St George's, University of London and the Imperial College London states that the millions of kids in UK are potentially getting penicillin prescriptions that are below the recommended dosage for common infections. The researchers are further concerned about the growing global threat in antibiotic resistance. The misuse or overuse of the antibiotics can lead to the appearance of bacteria that cannot be checked and controlled by the available medicines. The exclusive study could be read in the British Journal of General Practice. The co-researcher, Dr Sonia Saxena, from the School of Public Health, Imperial College London and a practising GP, explained, “It is important now to understand why GPs are prescribing sub-therapeutic levels of penicillin. Some GPs may be erring on the side of caution, prescribing low doses to avoid errors or side effects. In the majority of cases children will still get better, but undertreating those children who do need antibiotics could mean more infectious complications and more health contacts overall.”