It’s possible customers will want to get antibiotics prescribed from their GP to treat their flu. There is a real lack of understanding surrounding antibiotic resistance and what it means to the public.

It’s important that you understand the key facts about inappropriate use of antibiotics that you can pass on to your customers:

• Antibiotics will not work if you have a common cold or flu as both are viral infections – they should only be prescribed for bacterial infections such as some pneumonias, meningitis and sepsis infections.

• Healthy people can manage their flu symptoms without seeing a GP. Therefore, pharmacies can recommend products available over the counter to help manage their symptoms

• Taking antibiotics will kill the “good” bacteria which protect the body, making you more susceptible to infection.

• GPs won’t prescribe antibiotics for flu because they won’t relieve the symptoms or help to speed up recovery

If you want to learn more about antibiotic resistance you can complete the Counter Excellence Keeping Antibiotics Working training module.