Antibiotics Antibiotics Antibiotics are drugs or medicines that doctors use to kill bacteria and cure infections. They will not help cure illnesses caused by viruses. Learning about germs and the different kinds of illnesses they cause will help you understand when antibiotics should be used. Germs are in the air you breathe and on everything you touch.
Some germs can live for days outside the body of the sick person that they come from.
The two most common types of germs are called bacteria and viruses. Strep throat and skin infections are examples of illnesses caused by bacteria. Colds and flus are examples of illnesses due to viruses. When germs enter the body, a fever might result. This means the body is fighting to kill these germs.