Free Republic

Authorities in Spain launched Sunday an investigation into the deaths of at least 18 people in a reported bacteria epidemic at one of Madrid's main hospitals. Deputy Prime Minister Maria Teresa Fernandez de la Vega, who was on an official visit to Niger, announced a probe into what she described as "a very, very serious incident" at the 12th October University Hospital. El Pais reported that at least 18 people had died in a bacteria epidemic that infected more than 250 patients over a period of 20 months at the hospital. The deaths were caused by Acinetobacter baumannii, a highly...

Cutting the length of time that patients take certain antibiotics could help to tackle the rise in drug resistance. So say the authors of a study showing that just three days' worth of drugs can fight pneumonia just as well as a longer treatment. Many antibiotics are prescribed for a week, ten days, or more, and patients are usually told to finish the course of pills to ensure that all the infection-causing bugs are eradicated. It is widely thought that not finishing the full course of drugs may allow a few of the hardiest bugs to linger, raising the risk...