Friday, 22 November 2019

pathology - Why are antibiotics prescribed with a viral infection like a cold?


I've heard both ways; people going to the doctor for a cold and then getting a prescription for antibiotics and those that go to the doctor and told they have ride it out because it's a viral infection. Do antibiotics really help in true cases of a viral cold?



Answer



In general antibiotics don't help with viruses. However, sometimes a bacterial infection may follow a cold virus, so there might be some scenarios in which antibiotics would be needed. However in many cases it could be due to people demanding antibiotics from their doctor.


You can read more here (CDC site): http://www.cdc.gov/Features/getsmart/



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