The health myth that harms

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People needed to be aware that antibiotics worked only for bacterial infections and not viral infections such as like colds and flu.

People needed to be aware that antibiotics worked only for bacterial infections and not viral infections such as like colds and flu.

Nearly two in three Australians wrongly believe antibiotics work for colds and flu, prompting warnings the common misconception may be contributing to the growing problem of antibiotic resistance. 

Research by NPS MedicineWise released on Tuesday reveals 71 per cent of Gen-Y workers aged 18 to 34 think antibiotics will speed their return to work when they have a cold or flu compared with 60 per cent of Baby Boomer workers aged 50 to 64. 

It also found 94 per cent of people had gone to work with a cold or flu and about four in 10 believed they caught the illness on public transport while commuting to or from work. 

More than 40 per cent of workers wrongly believed they got sick by getting cold or wet and by “catching a chill”, according to the survey conducted in May by Galaxy Research for NPS MedicineWise.