ROYAL Surrey County Hospital is reminding people to only use antibiotics as prescribed by a doctor, to mark European Antibiotic Awareness Day.

Antibiotics are essential medicines for treating bacterial infections in both humans and animals.

But bacteria can adapt and find ways to survive the effects of an antibiotic, which means that the drugs are losing their effectiveness at an increasing rate. Inappropriate use of these drugs is a key driver for this.

Royal Surrey is supporting Public Health England’s Antibiotic Guardian pledge campaign and will be encouraging its staff to sign-up as Antibiotic Guardians.

Dr Reela Varghese, consultant microbiologist, said: “As part of European Antibiotics Awareness Day we would like to remind both patients and members of the public that antibiotics should only be taken as prescribed and never saved for later or shared with others.

“The more we use antibiotics, the greater the chance bacteria will become resistant to them.

“To slow down the development of antibiotic resistance, it is important to use these vital drugs in the right way – the right drug, at the right dose, at the right time for the right duration. At Royal Surrey, we prescribe antibiotics when there is a clear clinical need.”