The common cold, flu and most coughs and sore throats are all caused by a group of germs called viruses. There are two sorts of germ. Bacteria and viruses and both are very different.

Bacteria are very tiny little living creatures that all of us have inside us all the time. They live in our digestive system and help us get nourishment from our food. They also live on the skin where they usually do no harm. Indeed, many of our natural bacteria help protect us from illness.

Very occasionally, bacteria can get into the wrong places or bacteria of an unusual type can attack our bodies. Some illnesses caused by such germs include pneumonia, meningitis and cystitis. For illnesses like this, antibiotics, medicines which kill bacteria are used. Unfortunatley, antibiotics kill the friendly bacteria we need as well as the harmful ones so when we take them they often cause problems to the body like diarrhoea. If antibiotics are used too much, they also work less well. If you are given antibiotics when you do not need them they can make you more likely to get illnesses caused by bacteria in the future. Meningitis, for example is more common in children who have had lots of antibiotics.

Viruses are what cause flu, colds and most sore throats. They are very small and are not alive like bacteria. They are little particles which interfere with the way the body works. Our bodies have a very good way of getting rid of viruses when they get inside them but it often takes a few days or weeks for our bodies to finish them off completely. Because viruses are not alive, antibiotics have no effect on them at all. In fact if you give antibiotics to someone who is ill because of viruses, it kills all the bacteria inside them that are actually helping the body get rid of the virus. This is why we do not give antibiotics for illnesses like coughs, colds, the flu and so on. They do not work, may even make you more ill and if used to often may be less effective when used for serious illnesses for example meningitis.

Sometimes, antibiotics can make people very ill indeed if they react badly to them. In fact one in every 50,000 people given penicillin have such a bad reaction that they die from it. We must only use antibiotics if they may help.

The best thing you can do if you get a cold or the flu is to pop into the chemist and buy one of their cough, cold, flu remedies. Even ordinary paracetamol is often very good. Take it easy for a while and let your body get rid of the infection without being slowed down by the side effects of antibiotics. If you are elderly or become more ill, you should, however, give us a ring to discuss your illness as occasionally other infections can `hitch a ride` on the back of the flu.