Taking antibiotics for colds and flu? There’s no point.

Hdl Handle:: http://hdl.handle.net/10147/305174
Title:: Taking antibiotics for colds and flu? There’s no point.
Authors:: Health Service Executive (HSE); Irish College of General Practitioners (ICGP); Irish Pharmacy Union
Publisher:: Health Service Executive (HSE)
Issue Date:: Nov-2012
URI:: http://hdl.handle.net/10147/305174
Item Type:: Patient Information Leaflet
Language:: en
Description:: What are antibiotics? Antibiotics are medicines used to treat infections caused by bacteria. Antibiotics don’t work against infections caused by viruses, such as colds and flu. So there’s no point taking antibiotics to treat a cold or flu, and no point asking your doctor to prescribe them for a cold or flu. Taking antibiotics when you don’t need them, like for a cold or flu, is a waste. It can also mean that they won’t work when you really need them for a serious infection. This is called antibiotic resistance and it happens when bacteria are exposed to antibiotics and learn to resist them. Taking antibiotics when they are not needed also puts you at risk of side effects, like a rash, upset stomach or diarrhoea.
Keywords:: HEALTH PROMOTION; INFLUENZA
Local subject classification:: COMMON COLD; VIRUS; ANTIBIOTICS

Full metadata record

DC Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Health Service Executive (HSE)	en_GB
dc.contributor.author	Irish College of General Practitioners (ICGP)	en_GB
dc.contributor.author	Irish Pharmacy Union	en_GB
dc.date.accessioned	2013-11-11T11:19:13Z	-
dc.date.available	2013-11-11T11:19:13Z	-
dc.date.issued	2012-11	-
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10147/305174	-
dc.description	What are antibiotics? Antibiotics are medicines used to treat infections caused by bacteria. Antibiotics don’t work against infections caused by viruses, such as colds and flu. So there’s no point taking antibiotics to treat a cold or flu, and no point asking your doctor to prescribe them for a cold or flu. Taking antibiotics when you don’t need them, like for a cold or flu, is a waste. It can also mean that they won’t work when you really need them for a serious infection. This is called antibiotic resistance and it happens when bacteria are exposed to antibiotics and learn to resist them. Taking antibiotics when they are not needed also puts you at risk of side effects, like a rash, upset stomach or diarrhoea.	en_GB
dc.language.iso	en	en
dc.publisher	Health Service Executive (HSE)	en_GB
dc.subject	HEALTH PROMOTION	en_GB
dc.subject	INFLUENZA	en_GB
dc.subject.other	COMMON COLD	en_GB
dc.subject.other	VIRUS	en_GB
dc.subject.other	ANTIBIOTICS	en_GB
dc.title	Taking antibiotics for colds and flu? There’s no point.	en_GB
dc.type	Patient Information Leaflet	en