Antibiotics aren't the answer to viral infections  

​ROME, Ga., Aug. 26, 2025 – It's flu and cold season. You're sick or maybe you have a sick child at home and are ready to make this achy feeling go away. So, you call your doctor and schedule a visit to get an antibiotic. That is likely not going to help you get better.

During cold and flu season, acute respiratory tract infections are the most common reason doctors are asked to prescribe antibiotics. But normally neither you nor your child needs an antibiotic for things like a sore throat, sinus infections or the common cold. 

Like many viruses, the flu can include the following symptoms:

• Fever or chills
• Headaches
• Cough
• Sore throat
• Stuffy or runny nose
• Muscle or body aches
• Tiredness
• Nausea, vomiting or diarrhea

 Taking antibiotics for the flu or COVID will not cure the infection, keep other people from getting sick or help you or your child feel better. They may even cause unnecessary and harmful side effects and contribute to antibiotic resistance. That's when bacteria resists the effects of an antibiotic and it could actually hurt you.

“Antibiotics may not be what you need," said Dr. Tammy Lyles-Arnold, a pediatrician with Atrium Health Floyd Primary Care Family Medicine & Pediatrics Polk. “Colds, sore throats, and bronchitis are often caused by viruses and not bacteria. The treatment for a virus is to get lots of rest, and drink plenty of fluids."

The following tips can help you and your family stay healthy:

• Wash your hands often with soap or hand sanitizer. Make sure you wash the front and back, between your fingers and around your fingernails.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. You can become infected if you touch something that is contaminated and then touch your face.
• Try to avoid close contact with anyone who is sick. Also, extend the same courtesy if you are sick and keep your distance from others so you won't infect them.
• If you are sick, don't go to work or school. If you have errands you need to run, see if someone else can help you. Self-quarantine plays a big role in not infecting others.
• If you have to cough or sneeze, cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or sneeze into your elbow. The flu can be spread by respiratory droplets, so anything you can to cover your cough will help protect others. It may prevent those around you from getting sick. Flu viruses spread mainly by droplets made when people with flu cough, sneeze or talk.
• Keep objects clean that you touch often. That means wiping down things like your computer keyboard, doorknobs, cell phones keys and countertops.

 When to Go to the Emergency Room

If you experience the following symptoms you should visit your local emergency room:

• Difficulty breathing
• Difficulty waking up
• Not drinking enough liquids
• Dizziness
• Confusion
• Chest pain or pressure
  
• Persistent, severe vomiting

 Can't make it to the doctor and would like to try a convenient virtual visit for your child or yourself? Learn more at Atrium Health Children's Care Pediatrics Virtual and Atrium Health Primary Care Family Medicine Virtual.

About Atrium Health Floyd
The Atrium Health Floyd family of health care services is a leading medical provider and economic force in northwest Georgia and northeast Alabama. Atrium Health Floyd is part of Charlotte, North Carolina-based Advocate Health, the third-largest nonprofit health system in the United States, created from the combination of Atrium Health and Advocate Aurora Health. Atrium Health Floyd strategically combined with Harbin Clinic in 2024 and employs more than 5,200 teammates who provide care in over 40 medical specialties at four facilities: Atrium Health Floyd Medical Center – a 361-bed full-service, acute care hospital and regional referral center in Rome, Georgia; Atrium Health Floyd Polk Medical Center in Cedartown, Georgia; and Atrium Health Floyd Cherokee Medical Center in Centre, Alabama; and Atrium Health Floyd Medical Center Behavioral Health, also in Rome. Together, Atrium Health Floyd and Harbin Clinic provide primary care, specialty care and urgent care throughout northwest Georgia and northeast Alabama. Atrium Health Floyd also operates a stand-alone emergency department in Chattooga County, the first such facility to be built from the ground-up in Georgia.

About Advocate Health 
Advocate Health is the third-largest nonprofit, integrated health system in the United States, created from the combination of Advocate Aurora Health and Atrium Health. Providing care under the names Advocate Health Care in Illinois; Atrium Health in the Carolinas, Georgia and Alabama; and Aurora Health Care in Wisconsin, Advocate Health is a national leader in clinical innovation, health outcomes, consumer experience and value-based care. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, Advocate Health services nearly 6 million patients and is engaged in hundreds of clinical trials and research studies, with Wake Forest University School of Medicine serving as the academic core of the enterprise. Advocate Health is nationally recognized for its expertise in heart and vascular, neurosciences, oncology, pediatrics and rehabilitation, as well as organ transplants, burn treatments and specialized musculoskeletal programs. Advocate Health employs more than 160,000 teammates across 69 hospitals and over 1,000 care locations and offers one of the nation's largest graduate medical education programs with over 2,000 residents and fellows across more than 200 programs. Committed to redefining care for all, Advocate Health provides more than $6 billion in annual community benefits.