MARINE MEDICAL SOLUTIONS RAISES AWARENESS OVER IMPROPER USE OF ANTIBIOTICS ONBOARD VESSELS

Leading provider of medical support services for crews, Marine Medical Solutions (MMS), is concerned over the rise in crew members being given unnecessary antibiotics which may reduce the effectiveness of these vital medications in the future.

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The company says that ships' Masters should ideally seek medical input whenever they feel the need to give seafarers antibiotics as this type of medication is only of benefit when treating a bacterial infection. Impropriate or overuse of antibiotics does lead to antibiotic resistance and contribute to the emergence of antibioticresistant bacterial strains which will leave not only seafarers but also the wider population at greater future risk when they do develop a bacterial infection and this could eventually lead to economic losses for maritime.