PEOPLE in Ludlow and south Shropshire are being warned that antibiotics may well not be the answer when they become unwell.

Health leaders in Shropshire are urging people in the area to be aware of the proper uses of antibiotics and ensure that they take them responsibly.

Doctors and NHS managers are raising awareness about the risks of taking antibiotics inappropriately and calling on patients to learn about the proper treatment of common winter conditions like coughs, colds and the flu.

As the weather grows colder and the winter closes in, many patients will be visiting their GPs suffering from coughs, colds and flu, in the hope that they will be given antibiotics to treat their illness.

The experts say that antibiotics work against bacteriological infections but not viruses that cause colds and flu.

Dr Jo Leahy, chairman of Telford and Wrekin CCG said: “It is a common misconception that antibiotics are a cure-all, but the reality is, they just won’t work in the case of a cold or the flu.

For patients who do require antibiotics, to reduce the risk of increasing resistance it is important to follow the doctor’s instructions carefully, not to share antibiotics with other people and to complete the full course of treatment as prescribed.

Dr Julian Povey, chairman of Shropshire Clinical Commissioning Group, warned that the incorrect use of antibiotics in recent years had actually led to the development and spread of bacteria that are resistant to them.

“Where people contract infections caused by these antibiotic-resistant bacteria, they will take much longer to get better and, in some cases, could become quite seriously ill,” he said.

“Keeping antibiotics effective is everyone’s responsibility and we all need to take care to use them responsibly and keep antibiotics effective for our children and future generations.”