Nearly two in three Australians wrongly believe antibiotics work for colds and flu, prompting warnings the common misconception may be contributing to the growing problem of antibiotic resistance.
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Research by NPS MedicineWise released on Tuesday reveals 71 per cent of Gen-Y workers aged 18 to 34 think antibiotics will speed their return to work when they have a cold or flu compared with 60 per cent of Baby Boomer workers aged 50 to 64.
It also found 94 per cent of people had gone to work with a cold or flu and about four in 10 believed they caught the illness on public transport while commuting to or from work.
More than 40 per cent of workers wrongly believed they got sick by getting cold or wet and by "catching a chill", according to the survey conducted in May by Galaxy Research for NPS MedicineWise.
NPS MedicineWise clinical adviser Andrew Boyden, who is a part-time GP in Canberra, said good hygiene was paramount as colds and flu were viral infections spread from person to person.
"It (the research) is really a wake-up call that people still believe antibiotics help with the common cold whereas really they don't," he said. "We are definitely overusing antibiotics for colds and flu in this society.
"For the vast majority of people, an antibiotic won't help and, indeed, using antibiotics when they're not needed is contributing to that broader community problem of antibiotic resistance."
Dr Boyden said the medical profession also needed to take some "major responsibility".
"Ultimately we're the people prescribing it. Over the decades, we've become in a sense attracted to these medications because of the fact they are so effective for bacterial infections," he said.
"It is up to the medical profession to be part of this solution. "
He said people needed to be aware that antibiotics worked only for bacterial infections and not viral infections such as colds and flu.
Dr Boyden encouraged people to tell their GP to prescribe antibiotics only if they were really needed.
He also reminded the public of the importance of good hygiene practices to prevent the spread of colds and flu such as staying at home if unwell, using tissues when coughing or sneezing and disposing of them and washing hands.
He said it was not yet too late in the season for people to have a flu shot.
NPS MedicineWise is an independent not-for-profit organisation that receives funding from the Health Department.
