Why Antibiotics Cannot Cure the Flu

Viruses and bacteria are two uniquely different organisms that many people lump in the same infectious boat. Too often, bacteria-fighting antibiotics are prescribed to treat viruses such as colds and even influenza. ⁹³ Not only do antibiotics fail to treat those diseases, but also misusing them has contributed to an important public health problem - antibiotic resistance. ⁹⁴ Some diseases that were once easily cured by antibiotics have become resistant to eradication.⁹⁵

Following are the differences between the two organisms and the drugs used to treat them.

Definition:

Virus - A virus is a capsule of protein that contains genetic material. A virus cannot reproduce on its own; it must infect a living cell to grow.⁹⁶

Bacteria - Bacteria are one-celled organisms that live on their own. They can multiply and reproduce by subdivision.⁹⁷