Drugs and medicines

• A medication is a drug that is used to treat or prevent the symptoms of a disease.
• Painkillers treat the symptoms of the disease, not kill it.
• Antibiotics are used to prevent bacterial infections, by killing them or preventing them from dividing.
• Antibiotics only kill bacteria not viruses.
• Because viruses are found inside human cells its hard to kill viruses without damaging the human cells.
• Antibiotic resistance is when a bacteria has evolved to resist the effects of an antibiotic
• Reduce the spread of antibiotic resistance:

  • Ensure patients take entire course of the antibiotics
  • ensure doctors only prescribe antibiotics when necessary
  • stop giving antibiotics to farm animals