Why antibiotics cannot treat influenza

Antibiotics are medicines that kill harmful bacteria and therefore are only used for treating bacterial infections.

Bacterial and viral infections are distinctly different, and are managed differently.

Influenza is a viral infection, not bacterial, and because of this it cannot be treated with antibiotics.

People use a range of products to manage the symptoms of influenza, like high fevers or coughs. These products do not treat the influenza infection itself, which will continue to run its course unless it's treated with an antiviral medicine.