WHY ALL THE FUSS ABOUT ANTIBIOTIC OVERUSE?
What are antibiotics? Antibiotics are medicines that treat infections caused by bacteria. They can be lifesaving medicines for people suffering from severe bacterial infections. However, their effectiveness is being reduced by inappropriate use, so people are now dying from infections that were previously treatable. Unless we use antibiotics properly, the problem will only get worse, and more people will die unnecessarily. What’s the difference between bacteria and viruses? Bacteria and viruses are tiny micro-organisms (germs) that live throughout our environment. Bacteria live outside cells. Viruses invade cells and live within them, and are much smaller than bacteria. Some infections are caused by bacteria; others by viruses. Why shouldn’t we use antibiotics for viral infections? Useless – Antibiotics treat only infections caused by bacteria. They have no effect on viruses. Therefore, they cannot treat viral infections, such as the common cold and the flu (influenza). Antibiotic resi
