WHO: Limit the use of antibiotics to preserve their effectiveness

Antibiotics cannot cure infections caused by viruses. Nevertheless, flu season leads to increased use of antibiotics every year.

During the winter months, several studies have observed an increase in antibiotic prescribing, particularly for upper respiratory tract infections in children aged 0–3 years. While antibiotics can, in some cases, prevent a secondary bacterial infection, they are ineffective against influenza viruses.

Surveys have shown that 64% of respondents mistakenly believed that colds and flu could be treated with antibiotics. Most cases of flu resolve on their own; others can be treated with antiviral medications.

Antibiotics must be used carefully to preserve their effectiveness for when they are truly needed. To advise physicians on which antibiotics should be used for common infections and which for the most severe, the WHO has divided antibiotics into three categories in its Model List of Essential Medicines: “Access”, “Watch”, and “Reserve”.

The first class, called “Access”, includes those antibiotics that should preferably be used for common infectious diseases. These agents work reliably and have few side effects, such as penicillin or doxycycline. In addition, based on current knowledge, the likelihood that bacteria will develop resistance to these medicines is low.

The second group, called “Watch”, lists antibiotics for which initial resistance has emerged. They should be used only when agents from the Access category have not helped or cannot be used for other reasons, for example because someone is allergic to them. This is intended to prevent these agents from becoming ineffective.

The last group, “Reserve”, contains four classes of antibiotic agents that either have severe side effects or are still very new.