A campaign to discourage the abuse and misuse of antibiotics was launched today by Parliamentary Secretary Joseph Cassar.

He said the misuse of antibiotics, in Malta and abroad, took various forms and had led to the growth of strains which resisted antibiotics.

He said that abuse and misuse included cases where patients did not complete their course of antibiotics, modified their doses or took antibiotics without prescription.

It was quite common, he said, for people in Malta to demand antibiotics by brand without prescription from their pharmacists, and protested when the medicine was not given to them - moving on to the next pharmacy until they got what they wanted.

Doctors, too, came under harsh criticism when they decided that antibiotics did not need to be prescribed.

Dr Cassar said the purpose of the campaign was to make people realise that antibiotics were useless and potentially harmful in several cases and doctors could not prescribe them unless necessary. Similarly, pharmacists could not give them over the counter.

The campaign will include billboards, adverts and leaflets and will reach its height in January at the peak of the cold and flu season.

Dr Michael Borg, chairman of the Infection Control Committee at Mater Dei Hospital said cases of MRSA had been significantly reduced through more effective countermeasures and the availability of better facilities.