中国官方媒体说,中国滥开抗生素导致每年大约8万病人死于过敏反应。中国青年报今天(星期一)报导说,医学专家在对2005年20万名病患的死亡情况进行调查后做出这一估计。他们做出的结论是,40%的死亡是由滥用抗生素引起的。

报导说,去年将近75%的住院病人和五分之一以上的门诊病人用了医生开的抗生素。报导援引卫生部的数据说,这些数字高于很多其他国家。

报导说,过量使用抗生素的主要原因是,医院可以通过开价格相对昂贵的抗生素从中赚取更多的钱。世界各地的专家都警告说,过量使用抗生素会使一些病毒产生抗药性。

Chinese state media say over-prescription of antibiotics in China is responsible for killing about 80-thousand people a year because of patients’ adverse reactions. A report in China Youth Daily today (Monday) says medical experts reached the estimate after investigating the deaths of 200-thousand sick people in 2005. They concluded that 40 percent of the fatalities were caused by the abuse of antibiotics.

The article says antibiotics were prescribed to nearly 75 percent of hospital patients last year and more than one fifth of outpatients. Quoting the Ministry of Health, the report says these figures were higher than in many other countries.

The report says the main reason for the excessive usage is that hospitals can earn more money by prescribing relatively expensive antibiotics. Experts worldwide have warned that excessive use of antibiotics can make some viruses drug-resistant.