Many Irish people are ignorant about the shortcomings and drawbacks of taking antibiotics, a new EU-wide survey shows.

One in three of us wrongly think antibiotics kill viruses and one-quarter believe they are effective against colds and flu, according to a European Commission survey on the issue.

In fact, antibiotics work only against bacterial infections and have no impact on colds and flu.

Irish use of antibiotics is significantly higher than in the rest of the EU. Almost half of Irish people (44 per cent) had used antibiotics in the preceding 12 months, compared to 34 per cent on average in the EU. Virtually all (95 per cent) obtained their treatments from a medical practitioner.

And while use is declining across the EU, there was a slight increase in the use of antibiotics in Ireland over the last seven years.

The growing resistance of many bacteria to antimicrobial treatment, which includes the use of antibiotics, is regarded as one of the most serious threats to public health. Already, 250,000 patients died every year in the EU as a result of infections caused by resistant bacteria.

Ten million deaths are projected between 2015 and 2050 if rates of resistance continue to grow; most of these will occur in the developing world.

Irish people were more knowledgeable that other Europeans, with the survey showing a majority in the EU wrongly believe antibiotics kill viruses.

Two-thirds of Irish people were unaware that antibiotics often have side-effects such as diarrhoea but nine out of 10 are aware that the unnecessary use of antibiotics makes them become ineffective.

Nonetheless, 12 per cent of Irish people say they stop taking a course of the drugs when they feel better, rather than completing the course as they are advised to do.

In Ireland, 70 per cent say sick farm animals have the right to be treated with antibiotics if this is the most appropriate treatment and over half are unaware that using antibiotics to stimulate growth in farm animals is banned in the EU.