Antibiotic Resistance — A cure being used up in slow motion

Every course of antibiotics kills the vulnerable bacteria and leaves the resistant ones to multiply. Take them when they are not needed, or stop the course early, and you have quietly run a breeding programme. India has among the highest antibiotic consumption in the world, and infections that were once routine are becoming hard to treat.

• Antibiotics do nothing at all against viruses. Colds, most sore throats, and flu are viral, so an antibiotic there is pure cost and pure risk.
• Schedule H medicines legally require a prescription in India. A chemist selling them without one is breaking the law and shortening the useful life of the drug.