How antibiotic aware are you?

Antibiotics are essential medicines for treating bacterial infections however they could lose their effectiveness if not used as prescribed.

Bacteria adapt and find ways to survive the effects of an antibiotic. They become 'antibiotic resistant' so that the antibiotic no longer works. The more you use an antibiotic, the more bacteria become resistant to it.  This could result in the antibiotic proving ineffective when you need it the most.

Many antibiotics are prescribed and used for mild infections when they don't need to be. All colds and most coughs, sinusitis, otitis media (earache) and sore throats get better without antibiotics

Antibiotics should be taken as prescribed, never saved for later or shared with others. It is important we use antibiotics in the right way, the right drug, at the right dose, at the right time for the right duration. Appropriate use of antibiotics will slow down the development of antibiotic resistance.

There are very few new antibiotics in the development pipeline, which is why it is important we use our existing antibiotics wisely and make sure these life-saving medicines continue to stay effective for us, our children and grandchildren.

Take this short quiz to find out about your antibiotic awareness.