60% of Japanese believes antibiotics can treat colds - survey

The Plaintiff's lawyers, Kazuyuki Minami and Masafumi Yoshida, hold banners that read "returned" and "unconstitutional", in Tokyo

The Plaintiff's lawyers, Kazuyuki Minami and Masafumi Yoshida, hold banners that read "returned" and "unconstitutional" - two main points of the Supreme Court's decision today, which deemed a legal clause requiring people to undergo sterilisation surgery if they want to legally change their gender as unconstitutional, while returning the case to a lower court to deliberate on a separate clause that requires the genital organs of people who want to change their gender resemble those of the opposite gender, in Tokyo, Japan October 25, 2023. REUTERS/Francis Tang

Source: X01095

In a recent survey in Japan, nearly 60% of individuals hold the mistaken belief that antibiotics are effective in treating a cold. Medical experts are cautioning against the misuse and overuse of antibiotics as it can lead to an increase in antimicrobial resistance.

A report from The Japan Times shows it's essential to understand that both the common cold and influenza are caused by viruses, rendering antibiotics ineffective as treatments. The same applies to conditions like a sore throat or a runny nose, as explained by the Center Hospital of the National Center for Global Health and Medicine in Tokyo.

In an online survey involving 500 participants, almost 67% of parents with preschool children expressed their belief that antibiotics can combat viruses, while approximately 56% thought antibiotics could cure a cold. In a separate survey, around 63% of individuals aged 15 and older also believed that antibiotics could treat viral infections.

Interestingly, the top three viruses that many respondents believed antibiotics could treat were influenza, colds, and COVID-19, as indicated by the hospital.

The misuse and overuse of antimicrobial drugs are key contributors to the emergence of drug-resistant pathogens, making infections more challenging or even impossible to treat, according to the World Health Organization.

The Japanese government has expressed concerns about antimicrobial resistance, which is widely recognized as a "silent pandemic" by medical professionals. In an effort to address the issue, the government has formulated a five-year action plan with the goal of reducing the daily use of antibiotics per 1,000 individuals by 15% compared to 2020 levels.

Stanley Gajete