Antibiotic resistance is a serious health care problem related to the widespread use of antibiotics.
Antibiotics are drugs used to kill bacteria.
Medical science has successfully developed a wide range of antibiotics to fight infections caused by the many different types of bacteria. Antibiotics do not work against viruses. Using antibiotics too often or incorrectly can lead to more resistant bacteria. This is a serious public health concern, since we rely on antibiotic treatments to fight illnesses. Resistant bacteria also can spread from one person to another.