ANTIBIOTICS will not cure your cold - that is the message behind a campaign launched in the region.

So many people are asking for antibiotics when they see their GP that health bosses in Sunderland have decided to take action.

Adverts, posters and leaflets are being distributed on Wearside to try to reduce unnecessary requests for the drugs.

Sunderland has some of the highest rates of antibiotic prescribing in the country, but the situation is little better elsewhere in the region.

The key message from Sunderland Teaching Primary Care Trust (TPCT) is that antibiotics do not work on colds, flu or the majority of coughs and sore throats.

Doctors and pharmacists want to get across the message that antibiotics should be reserved for more serious bacterial illnesses.

There is also concern that the over-use of antibiotics will lead to more bacteria becoming resistant to them, making some infections increasingly difficult to treat.

Greg Moorhouse, prescribing advisor for Sunderland TPCT, said: "Most healthy adults can fight off lots of infections without antibiotics."

He said that while Sunderland TPCT did not wish to discourage anyone from visiting their doctor, "it is important that people understand why they are not being prescribed antiobiotics for coughs, colds and flu".