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TGV fatal derailment in France: year suspended jail term for driver
‘This accident was the result of failure across the board,’ the prosecutor summarised in court
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Two killed as prison van ambushed on French motorway, inmate on run
200 gendarmes have been mobilised to search for the prisoner who is reported to be the head of drug smuggling network and accused of attempted murder
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Electricity bills: Engie and other firms criticised for bad practice
Underestimated monthly invoices and illegal late billing are among ‘recurring’ issues, says mediator
Antibiotics prescribed less but still over-used
Use of antibiotics is reducing – but France remains the third largest European user in terms of population size after Greece and Cyprus.
Doctors’ prescriptions for antibiotics dropped by 15% from 2009-18, while the number of doses consumed stabilised at 22.5 per 1,000 people, per day, a government report found.
However, over-65s were taking more antibiotics by the end of the study period – up 13% for those aged 65-84, and up 9% for those aged 85 or more.
Dijon Bourgogne hospital infections expert Professor Lionel Piroth says older people are more fragile and grew up in a period when the risks of over-use – including allowing the emergence of more resistant strains of bacteria for which there are no treatments – were not known.
Antibiotics should not be used for treating viral infections, he added.
If France reduced consumption to the level of the Netherlands, the Sécu would save €400million a year.