"Antibiotic"

As more and more organisms become resistant to antibiotics, the threat to human health is increasing. The overuse of antibiotics leads to drug resistance. It is very important to limit the use of antibiotics. The research team of the University of Alberta in Canada has recently developed a hand-held detection instrument, which allows first-line clinicians to distinguish between patients with viral infection or bacterial infection within a few minutes, thus helping to reduce unnecessary antibiotic prescriptions and overuse of antibiotics. Because antibiotics are only effective for bacteria, if the patient is infected with virus, there is no need to prescribe antibiotics.

Misconceptions about how to treat a sore throat are fuelling the overuse of antibiotics, according to STAR research.