Why do antibiotics not work on Swine Flu?

Answer 1

Because antibiotics are for killing bacteria, not viruses. Swine flu is a virus. Both bacteria and viruses are "germs" but they are different types of germs that need different types of medicines to get rid of them.

There are anti-viral medicines that work to deactivate ("kill") viruses or weaken them to help you get over the illness faster with less severe symptoms, but they do not prevent you from getting the virus like an immunization would. Two of the anti-viral medicines that are already available do work for the Novel H1N1 2009 swine flu, but they must be taken within two days of the first symptoms to be most effective. See more information about treatments for the Swine Flu in the related questions below.

Sometimes antibiotics are given to people who have or have had the flu. This is done if they get or it is expected that they may get a secondary infection by bacteria. It is not uncommon for people with the flu virus to get bacterial pneumonia as a result of strain on the immune system from the virus, or if they are in an overall weakened immune status. It is more common that the secondary pneumonia they might get is viral pneumonia, but either types are possible, and if it is the bacterial kind, that is when antibiotics might be prescribed.

For more information about the different types of germs, and how to prevent them from infecting you, see the related question below, "How do you protect yourself from microbes".