DURHAM, N.C. -- This week is U.S. Antibiotic Awareness Week and Duke Hospital has an urgent message for this flu season.

• Doctors say if you come down with influenza, you should avoid antibiotics.
• They say antibiotics work for bacterial infections.
• Taking antibiotics for the wrong reasons could add health problems.

“So we haven't seen a major uptick in the number of flu cases yet, but we know that it is coming,” said Rebekah Moehring, an infectious diseases physician with Duke Health.

Doctors say if you come down with influenza, you should avoid antibiotics.

“So the influenza is actually a virus so antibiotics do not work against viral illnesses,” added Moehring. She says antibiotics work for bacterial infections.

The Centers for Disease Control says too many people are overusing antibiotics and for the wrong reasons. Officials say nearly 30 percent of antibiotics are unnecessarily prescribed, like a Z-pack.

“A Z-pack is something that folks would sometimes go in and get and they can be prescribed pretty easily but they do have consequences,” said Rebekah Wrenn, an infectious diseases pharmacist with Duke Health.

Taking antibiotics for the wrong reasons could add health problems.

“You can get a rash. You can get upset stomach. Nausea. You can have an allergic reaction,” added Moehring.

Doctors say patients should get anti-viral medications or medications that treat flu symptoms. They also urge patients to clearly communicate symptoms with their doctors to get the right medicine.

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