DEAR DR. ROACH: Why shouldn’t you use antibiotics for a cold? -- T.Y.A.

ANSWER: There are two main reasons. The first is that antibiotics, which are effective against bacteria, are not effective against the viruses, which are the cause of colds. It is true that a person (or their doctor) cannot be 100% sure whether it’s a virus, but people are generally pretty good about knowing when they have a cold.

The second is that resistance to antibiotics has become a major issue in medicine. There are now strains of bacteria that are resistant to all antibiotics, and I have seen patients die because their bacteria were resistant to all the antibiotics we have. Using antibiotics less often and for shorter durations is a major goal to reduce the rate of antibiotic resistance. (Antibiotic use in ani

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