Confusion about antibiotics is worldwide, according to the findings of a major international survey published yesterday.
Researchers found that 64% of people believe antibiotics can treat cold and flu.
And 76% believed that antibiotic resistance meant the body became resistant to the drugs.
Surveys involving 10,000 people were conducted for the World Health Organisation in countries including China, India, Russia, Mexico, Indonesia, Nigeria, South Africa and Serbia.
Some 64% of respondents said that scientists would solve the problem of antibiotic resistance before it became too serious – while 66% said there was no risk of infection with drug-resistant bacteria if antibiotics were taken as prescribed.
This week is World Antibiotics Awareness Week and WHO is running a "handle with care" campaign.
Dr Keiji Fukuda, from WHO, said: “The findings of this survey point to the urgent need to improve understanding around antibiotic resistance.
“This campaign is just one of the ways we are working with governments, health authorities and other partners to reduce antibiotic resistance."
* Meanwhile, writing in The Lancet, experts warn there is little evidence of effective campaigns to stem antimicrobial resistance.
They say that policies that have been introduced are "poorly understood" and it is not clear if they will work. These include guidelines to promote responsible use of antibiotics in hospitals and infection prevention measures.
One of the authors Professor John-Arne Røttingen, of the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, said today: “The scale of the problem, and the complexity of the responses needed, means that this problem is simply too large for the World Health Organisation alone to be held responsible.
"The problem is also complex since we need action on three fronts at the same time: extending access, conserving existing antimicrobials and ensuring innovation of new ones. These three goals can only be met together by integrated solutions.
"We need concerted and coordinated global action from politicians, industry, and individuals, and this will only be achieved if we initiate cooperation and support for this issue on a global scale.”
The Lancet Series on Antimicrobials: access and sustainable effectiveness Lancet 17 November 2015 [abstract]
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