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Japan survey shows 60% wrongly believe antibiotics can treat a cold

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Kyodo News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="A customer shops at a discount drug store in Tokyo, Japan, 16 May 2022. EPA-EFE/FRANCK ROBICHON" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2022/business/10/21/20221021-customer-shopping-japan-epa.jpg"/><figcaption>A customer shops at a discount drug store in Tokyo, Japan, 16 May 2022. <em>EPA-EFE/FRANCK ROBICHON</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>TOKYO — Nearly 60 percent of people erroneously believe that antibiotics are effective in treating a cold, according to a recent survey in Japan, with medical experts warning their misuse and overuse can increase antimicrobial resistance.</p><p>Both the common cold and influenza are viral infections, meaning antibiotics are ineffective treatments. The same is true of a sore throat or a runny nose, according to the Center Hospital of the National Center for Global Health and Medicine in Tokyo.</p><p>In an online survey of 500 people, nearly 67 percent of parents with preschool children said they believe antibiotics can fight viruses, while roughly 56 percent said they can cure a cold.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/10/05/23/doh-warns-of-proliferation-of-viruses-during-rainy-season">DOH warns of &#x27;proliferation of viruses&#x27; during rainy season</a></li></ul><p>In a separate survey, about 63 percent of people aged 15 and older said that they believe the drugs can cure viral infections.</p><p>Influenza, colds and COVID-19 are the top three viruses many respondents thought antibiotics can treat, the hospital said.</p><p>Misuse and overuse of antimicrobials are the main factors in the development of drug-resistant pathogens, making infections harder or impossible to combat, according to the World Health Organization.</p><p>The Japanese government has said it is concerned about antimicrobial resistance, which is widely considered a &quot;silent pandemic&quot; among medical professionals.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fP2pNL9Ma94?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div><p>The government has drawn up a five-year action plan in a bid to get a handle on the problem, setting itself the target of reducing daily use of antibiotics per 1,000 people by 15 percent by the final year from 2020 levels.</p>

Both the common cold and influenza are viral infections, meaning antibiotics are ineffective treatments. 