North West NHS chiefs say ‘think twice’ about taking antibiotics

There's a warning from the NHS in the North West about unnecessary use of antibiotics leading to people becoming immune to the treatment.

Antibiotics which fight infection and disease will not treat viral infections such as flu and the common cold. And they say the wrong use, or overuse of antibiotics, can cause resistance, meaning people may not respond to the life-saving medicine when they need it.

Antibiotics are part of the antimicrobial family of medicines and World Antimicrobial Awareness Week started on Thursday (18 November).

Dr Yvonne Dailey, lead consultant in dental public health at NHS England and NHS Improvement, said: “It’s also important to remember that there are solutions other than antibiotics for dental problems like toothache or dental abscesses.

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