The Maltings Surgery are supporting the ‘Keep Antibiotics Working’ campaign. Antibiotics are used to treat or prevent some types of bacterial infection. They work by killing bacteria or preventing them from reproducing and spreading. Antibiotics don’t work for viral infections such as colds and flu, and most coughs and sore throats. Many mild bacterial infections also get better on their own without using antibiotics. Taking antibiotics when you don’t need them encourages dangerous bacteria that live inside you to become resistant. That means that antibiotics may not work when you next need them most. This puts you and your family at serious risk. Both the NHS and health organisations across the world are trying to reduce the use of antibiotics, especially for conditions that aren’t serious. The overuse of antibiotics in recent years means they’re becoming less effective and has led to the emergence of “superbugs”. The biggest worry is that new strains of bacteria may emerge that can’t be effectively treated by any existing antibiotics.