Unfortunately, they are often taken when they aren’t needed and are frequently being overused to treat simple illnesses including sore throats. In fact, over the last 10 years, antibiotic use in New Zealand has dramatically increased.

It seems that overuse of antibiotics is contributing to a rapid rise in antibiotic resistance. This basically means, the more we use antibiotics, the more opportunities we give the bacteria to adapt and fight back against them. If overuse of antibiotics continues, they’ll be less effective in treating diseases in the future when we really need them. We don't want that of course, but we don't want a sore throat either!

So to help this problem and to help your sore throat, we have an amazing new service available at Unichem Manly Pharmacy. We can provide you with a quick, free Sore Throat Consultation. This is great news if you aren’t sure if your sore throat is bacterial or viral and whether or not you need to visit the Doctor for antibiotics. Now you can actually find out!

The free, 10-minute Sore Throat Consultation will involve the following:

• An initial assessment to see if you have signs of a viral infection. This will include a thorough look at the back of your throat for any signs of inflammation or obvious white marks.

• A questionnaire relating to your symptoms.

• A simple and pain-free swab test on the back of the throat if we suspect you may have a bacterial infection and require antibiotics. After 5 minutes, the swab test will reveal whether you are suffering with a viral or bacterial infection. Please note: not all bacterial strains can be identified.

• Our pharmacist will then refer you on to your GP for further treatment if the swab test results indicate a bacterial infection.

• If the swab test result is negative and you don’t require antibiotics, our Pharmacist will recommend some alternative treatment options.

If your sore throat gets worse or symptoms don’t alleviate after 3 days, then you should see your GP.

So let us help you this winter. Come in and see your friendly local pharmacist at Unichem Manly Pharmacy.