The only time your child needs an antibiotic is …

It’s U.S. Antibiotic Awareness Week. This annual observance was created by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to educate the public on antibiotic resistance as well as correct antibiotic use and prescription.

According to the CDC, antibiotic use is the single most important factor leading to antibiotic resistance around the world and 50 percent of all antibiotics prescribed are not needed or not effective as prescribed.

The only time your child needs an antibiotic is when he or she is battling harmful bacteria. “Bacteria can cause illnesses like whooping cough, strep throat or a urinary tract infection,” says Sherman Alter, MD, medical director of infectious disease at Dayton Children’s. “In that case, your doctor will prescribe an antibiotic to kill these living organisms. However, it is also important that your doctor prescribe the lowest dose that will be effective on that bacteria to keep it from developing resistance to the drug.”

It’s also important to know when to just say no to antibiotics. Many of the illnesses a child will encounter don’t need them. “Viruses will not respond to antibiotics,” says Dr. Alter. “Viruses cause colds, the flu, most sore throats, bronchitis and many sinus and ear infections. A child’s immune system is the only thing that can defeat a virus.”

Why it’s harmful to overuse antibiotics

If people take antibiotics when they don’t need them, it can actually make bacteria harder to kill. Bacteria changes, or adapts, and it then takes higher doses or stronger antibiotics to destroy them. Some bacteria have become so resistant that there are only one or two drugs powerful enough to have an impact.

To better understand antibiotics and their usage, read these six tips:

1. There are two kinds of infections: viral and bacterial. Antibiotics are medicines that fight bacterial infections.

2. Bacterial infections are things like strep throat, pneumonia and sinus infections.

3. If you have a bacterial infection and your doctor orders an antibiotic, take it exactly as the doctor says. This means taking all of the medicine, even if you feel better. Using only part of it means only part of the infection has been treated.

4. Viruses are things like a common cold, most coughs and the flu. With viral illnesses, antibiotics won’t cure your child, make them feel better, or keep others from getting sick.

5. If you use an antibiotic when you don’t need it, they may not work when you do need them.

6. With either kind of illness, help your child feel better by making sure they get plenty of rest and fluids.

Talk to your child's doctor about whether antibiotics are necessary and if you have any questions about appropriate antibiotic usage. Visit www.childrensdayton.org or www.cdc.gov/getsmart for more information.

This look at a children’s health or safety issue comes from Dayton Children’s Hospital. Email: newsroom@childrensdayton.org.

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