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Repeated warnings by health officials about the over-use of antibiotics are
falling on deaf ears. A survey of 10 000 people in nine states in the US
revealed that 32 per cent still believe antibiotics can cure a cold, 27 per cent
think taking antibiotics during a cold will prevent more serious illness, and 48
per cent expect a prescription for antibiotics if they see a doctor for cold
symptoms. But antibiotics work only against bacterial infections, not viral ones
such as colds. “We need to find a better way of getting across the correct
message,” says Brian Spratt of…