Antibiotics do nothing for a cold, and taking them anyway is making them stop working

The problem is that colds, flu and most sore throats and coughs are caused by viruses. Antibiotics kill bacteria. They have no effect on viruses at all. Taking them for a cold doesn't make it go away faster, but it does expose the bacteria that live in your body to the drug, and the ones that survive can pass on their resistance.

That is how superbugs develop. A large study in The Lancet estimated that in 2019, drug-resistant bacterial infections were directly responsible for 1.27 million deaths worldwide, more than HIV or malaria, and played a part in nearly five million. India is among the largest consumers of antibiotics in the world, and doctors here increasingly see infections that the usual drugs no longer touch.

Using antibiotics wisely - Don't ask for antibiotics for a cold, flu or most coughs. Rest, fluids and paracetamol if needed are usually enough. - Never take leftover antibiotics, or someone else's, "just in case". - When a doctor does prescribe them, take the full course exactly as advised, at the right times. - Don't buy antibiotics over the counter without a prescription. - See a doctor if a fever lasts more than three days, or you have trouble breathing, chest pain, or feel much worse after a few days.

Where this comes from - Antimicrobial Resistance Collaborators. Global burden of bacterial antimicrobial resistance in 2019: a systematic analysis. The Lancet, 2022. - Klein EY et al. Global increase and geographic convergence in antibiotic consumption between 2000 and 2015. PNAS, 2018.