Illustrating the extent of Americans’ lack of knowledge about antibiotics, 29 percent of California women queried mistakenly believe a cold or flu should be treated with an antibiotic, according to results of a survey being presented at the 41st Annual Meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA).
The cold and flu are caused by viruses: antibiotics treat only bacterial infections.
“We weren’t surprised by the number, but we certainly were concerned,” said Kate C. Cummings, M.P.H., epidemiologist for the California Department of Health Services, Infectious Diseases Branch, Berkeley. “If people wrongly believe they need an antibiotic to treat an infection, they may pressure their physicians for the medication, which contributes to the inappropriate use of antibiotics. Inappropriate use of antibiotics adds to the growing problem of resistance, leading to the situation where the antibiotics won’t work when people really need them.”
The California Women’s Health Survey is an annual random telephone survey; in the year 2000, a total of 4012 women were asked if the cold or flu should be treated with an antibiotic and 29 percent said yes.
The 2000 survey results revealed the misunderstanding tended to be more common among women younger than 35 and older than 54. The survey also found that, although women ages 35 to 54 were less likely to think an antibiotic should be prescribed for the cold or flu, women in that age group who were Asian, Black or Hispanic were three times as likely as white women to believe antibiotics should be given for that purpose. It’s unclear why that is, but may be due to socioeconomic or cultural factors, said Cummings.
“For instance, in Mexico, antibiotics are available without a prescription, so some Hispanic women may be more likely to believe it’s appropriate to use them in many situations,” said Cummings.