Research commissioned by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society has found that there is a general belief that antibiotics can be used to treat all sorts of ailments from coughs and colds to thrush.
The research found that 55 per cent of people thought antibiotics were suitable for coughs and 47 per cent thought they would treat colds and influenza. Sore throats, coughs and earache were perceived by one in five people to be always treatable with antibiotics.
The findings of the survey were used by the Society to launch a media campaign on October 12 to try to persuade people that they should visit a pharmacy with minor illnesses, rather than bother their family doctors.
The Society's President (Mrs Christine Glover) said: "We know that people expect to be prescribed an antibiotic when they do not need one. This is clogging up doctors' surgeries, wasting the patient's time and vital National Health Service resources. Most people who have minor illnesses, such as coughs, colds and sore throats, simply need to relieve their symptoms: taking an antibiotic will not make the illness go away. Most people can get all the advice and treatment they need by popping into their high street pharmacy."