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Drug resistance: a new epidemic, and what can you do?
Last reviewed: 01.07.2025
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Did you know that colds, flu, sore throats and most bronchitis are viral diseases? Did you know that antibiotics do not help fight viruses and that their use in viral infections only worsens the course of the disease?
Millions of people take antibiotics for colds, blindly believing that they can help. At the same time, recent scientific research has proven that uncontrolled use of antibiotics leads to the development of new pathogenic strains of bacteria that are resistant to treatment.
"Antibiotic misuse is a serious problem today! We can help patients by educating them about the proper use of medications," said Daniel Uslan, PhD, assistant professor at UCLA Health System. "The public can play a significant role in reducing the threat of antibiotic resistance."
The expert advises the following:
- If you are seeing a doctor because you have a cold or flu, discuss the use of antibiotics with your doctor. If it is a viral infection, antibiotics will not work and will only make the condition worse. Antibiotics are only prescribed for bacterial infections.
- If your doctor determines that you do not have a bacterial infection, do not ask for antibiotics. Instead, ask about methods you can use to relieve your symptoms.
- Take antibiotics exactly as prescribed by your doctor, even if you feel better.
- Don't keep leftover antibiotics in your medicine cabinet in case you get sick again.
- Do not take antibiotics prescribed for someone else.
- Don't assume that yellow or green mucus means you need antibiotics. It's normal for mucus to change color as the illness progresses.
- The vast majority of sore throats do not require antibiotics. Only 5-15% of sore throats are caused by streptococcus.
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