Antibiotics won’t help with colds or flu because these illnesses are caused by viruses, not bacteria. If in doubt, go to your local pharmacy for advice.
Antimicrobial resistance, known as AMR, is stopping antibiotics from being as effective as they used to be. Consequently, people are having to go into hospital – and in some cases even dying – when they get antimicrobial resistant infections. AMR could make common infections life-threatening in the future. It occurs when bacteria and other microorganisms evolve to survive the medicines we use to fight them.