Srinagar, Aug. 23 -- Srinagar- Amid a spike in monsoon-related illnesses, doctors have advised people against self-medicating with antibiotics, stressing that fever is a symptom rather than a diagnosis and does not automatically indicate a bacterial infection.

Physicians said fever can occur due to a range of conditions, including viral infections, dengue, malaria and typhoid, and treatment should be based on clinical assessment, the duration of illness, associated symptoms and appropriate diagnostic investigations.

"Patients frequently come to us after taking multiple medicines, including antibiotics, simply because they have developed fever. Fever by itself is not an indication for an antibiotic. The first step is to determine what is...