As China supposedly has the world's highest antibiotics abuse rate and thus is breeding superbugs that are becoming antibiotic-resistant, a new regulation of antibiotics, drafted by the Ministry of Health, could be coming into effect as soon as Friday. An exact introduction date has not yet been confirmed, but when implemented, city-level hospitals will be allowed to offer no more than 50 types of antibiotics, while district-level hospitals will only be permitted 35. Until now, those numbers have been much higher, according to an investigation by the Shanghai Morning Post. They found that local hospitals have been offering more than 100 types of antibiotics and city-level hospitals around 60 types. As an official with the Shanghai Health Bureau told the Shanghai Daily, 50 types of antibiotics are enough for clinical requirements, as they can kill almost all known bacteria.
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We all know that, thanks to worries about superbugs, taking antibiotics isn't the best course of action when all you've got is a bit of a cold... but it seems like we may be throwing them in our bodies anyhow just through the food we eat. According to China Daily, almost half of the antibiotics - 97,000 out of the 210,000 produced in China - are being used on livestock. more ›

Ever notice the tendency for medical clinics and hospitals to over-prescribe medications here in Shanghai (even for things like simple colds and sore throats)? This bottle of pills is for the inflammation, take three times a day. Take one of these twice day, it'll help reduce the pain. Oh, those ones? We're not quite sure, but trust us, you need 'em. Turns out the practice isn't just dangerous for your wallet, it's also breeding strains of bugs that are becoming antibiotic-resistant. Uh oh. more ›

Too much of a good thing, as they say, is bad. China is supposed to have the world's highest rate of antibiotics abuse and the problem, apart from killing an estimated 80,000 a year, is leading to an increased resistance of bacteria to drugs, resulting in a rising number of recessive syphilis cases, among others. An ambitious two-year project has now been launched to train over 30,000 medical staff across China in the responsible use of antibiotics. more ›