The steady rise in use of antibiotics is not itself the problem—or indicative of it. However, studies of prescription and sale patterns point to their use in inappropriate ways. And, of course, it’s common knowledge that, short of psychotropic drugs, anything can be bought from most medical stores. Patients’ habits, too, play a role: instead of completing a course of antibiotics, most people stop once the symptoms begin to wane and remnant bacteria develop resistance. According to a 2011 report of the Indian Journal of Medicine, drugs are being prescribed in incorrect doses, for incorrect duration and in wrong frequency of intake. Some prescriptions are redundant, some have the potential to interact adversely with other drugs. “Doctors resort to unnecessary prescription of antibiotics for various reasons—playing it safe to avoid accusations of negligence, to avoid a sense of guilt or because they are either insecure about patients’ satisfaction or lack in professional confidence,” says Dr Vinod Paul, professor and head of the department of paediatrics at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi. And Dr Camilla Rodrigues, a microbiology consultant at Hinduja Hospital, Mumbai, says, “One can’t treat the pathogen in isolation. We have to be circumspect in our prescription of antibiotics, not randomly extend them to viral infections.”