This is called bacterial resistance or antibiotic resistance. Treating these resistant bacteria requires higher doses of medicine or stronger antibiotics. Because of antibiotic overuse, certain bacteria have become resistant to even the most powerful antibiotics available today. Among those that are becoming harder to treat are pneumococcal infections which cause pneumonia , ear infections , sinus infections, and meningitis , skin infections, and tuberculosis.
In addition to antibiotic resistance, overusing antibiotics can lead to other problems. Antibiotics kill many different bacteria, even the good ones that help keep the body healthy. Sometimes taking antibiotics can cause a person to develop diarrhea due to a lack of good bacteria that help digest food properly. In some cases, bad bacteria, like Clostridium difficile or C diff , may overgrow and cause infections.
So what should you do when your child gets sick? To minimize the risk of bacterial resistance, keep these tips in mind:. Ask your doctor about ways to treat the symptoms that are making your child uncomfortable, such as a stuffy nose or scratchy throat. The key to building a good relationship with your doctor is open communication , so work together toward that goal. It may take a child 1 to 2 days to feel better.
And most important, never use antibiotics that have been lying around your home. And never give your child antibiotics that were prescribed for another family member or adult. Any remaining antibiotics should be thrown out as soon as your child has taken the full course of medicine as prescribed.
Help fight antibiotic resistance by taking simple steps to prevent the spread of infections. Overview: Global and local impact of antibiotic resistance. Infectious Disease Clinics of North America. About antimicrobial resistance. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Accessed Nov. Antibiotic resistance. Accessed September 11, Holubar M, et al. Antimicrobial stewardship in outpatient settings.
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It is a serious threat that we have to address. These antibiotic-resistant infections, as you mentioned, they run the full gamut of different types of etiologies, of different types of infections that they cause.
And they do range in severity. Some of them cause skin infections that may be readily treatable by draining the infection and a short course of antibiotics. Some of them cause very serious infections, life-threatening infections. And, as you mentioned, we know that roughly 35, people every year don't survive one of these infections.
So it's a huge gamut. But for each individual person, this is a serious occurrence, right? This is pain, it's suffering. So it's important that we not underestimate or that we trivialize any one of these 2. For the person who gets it, it's a serious infection. One thing that obviously stands out is the declining number of deaths. It's an 18 percent overall reduction, nearly 30 percent in hospitals alone.
It is really encouraging. And for some people who have seen this report, it a little bit flies in the face of what we have come to expect, what conventional wisdom is with antibiotic resistance. There was a lot of suspicion out there, and people who said, once resistance begins to develop, there's just nothing you can do, you will never see it go back down.
This report shows that you can, in fact, put the genie back in the bottle to a certain extent. We're seeing the number of deaths have gone down. The number of infections with many of these important pathogens, especially in health care, has gone down.
What's driving that? We really do think it's the hard work of people, especially in hospitals, where we have seen the biggest decreases.
It's the day-in and day-out work of people paying attention to cleaning their hands, wearing gowns and gloves when it's necessary to care for these patients, working to improve antibiotic use. Some of these things are — seem relatively simple. None of them are easy to do every day taking care of every single patient.
But that hard work is paying off, and we really want to acknowledge the work that people are doing and encourage them to keep at it. You mentioned this issue of better antibiotic use. This obviously dovetails with one of the reasons why these superbugs emerged in the first place. Note: All information is for educational purposes only. For specific medical advice, diagnoses, and treatment, consult your doctor. All rights reserved. What Is Antibiotic Overuse?
What Do Antibiotics Treat? They can cause diseases with similar symptoms, but they multiply and spread illness differently: Bacteria are living organisms existing as single cells. But some bacteria are harmful and cause illness by invading the body, multiplying, and interfering with normal body processes.
Viruses , on the other hand, are not alive. Antibiotics do not work against viruses. Why Are Antibiotics Overprescribed? Cronan, MD.
Medicines: Using Them Safely Giving kids medicine safely can be complicated. Germs: Bacteria, Viruses, Fungi, and Protozoa Germs are the microscopic bacteria, viruses, fungi, and protozoa that can cause disease. Staph Infections When skin is punctured or broken for any reason, staph bacteria can enter the wound and cause an infection. Sinusitis Sinus infections, or sinusitis, are common and easily treated. But what is it? Understanding Medicines and What They Do Medicines can cure, stop, or prevent disease; ease symptoms; or help in the diagnosis of illnesses.
Strep Throat Strep throat is a common infection that usually needs to be treated with antibiotics. Antibiotics These awesome medicines attack bacteria that make you sick.
Cellulitis Cellulitis is an infection of the skin and underlying tissues that can affect any area of the body. Impetigo Impetigo is a contagious skin infection that causes blisters or sores on the face, neck, hands, and diaper area.
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