What does antibiotic resistance actually mean for an ordinary person?

It means the antibiotic that would have worked stops working — not that your body becomes resistant, but that the bacteria do. It matters personally because a routine urinary or chest infection can become one that needs hospital admission and intravenous drugs. India has among the highest resistance rates globally, driven largely by antibiotics sold without prescription and courses stopped early. The three things an individual controls: do not demand antibiotics for viral illnesses, do not use leftover strips from a previous illness, and finish what is prescribed.