This week celebrates Antibiotic Awareness Week!
This is important in the prevention of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) which occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites no longer respond to antimicrobial agents.
As a result of drug resistance, antibiotics and other antimicrobial agents become ineffective and infections become difficult or impossible to treat, increasing the risk of disease spread, severe illness and death.
We see this commonly in Pediatrics where antibiotics can get unnecessarily prescribed for viruses, coughs, colds and in some cases a suspected but not confirmed ear infection. With standard best practice, your provider will always want to conduct a physical exam before prescribing a antibiotic. It can be common for parents to be frustrated when their child is sick and displaying symptoms but no medication can be prescribed.
Can antibiotics do harm?
In some cases, broad-spectrum antibiotics often kill the good bacteria in the body alongside killing the bad bacteria. When that happens in the gut, it can lead to diseases such as C.Diff.
– Ear infections that are not caused by a virus can be treated with antibiotics.
-Strep Throat is always treated with an antibiotic to prevent rheumatic fever.
-A sinus infection that is not viral but a bacterial sinusitis is treated with antibiotics.
-Pneumonia that is not viral but is a bacterial infection can be diagnosed through labs and can be treated by an antibiotic.
– Urinary Tract Infections are always treated by an antibiotic but needs a sample to be cultured (labs) to ensure its the correct type of antibiotic for the correct strain of bacteria.
In most cases, with most illnesses a medical physician needs to run tests, labs and conduct a physical exam to determine if symptoms are caused by a bacteria that can be treated or a virus.
