This week is Antibiotics Awareness Week. It is important to be know important facts about antibiotics, especially in flu se
One of the biggest misconceptions about antibiotics is that they work against viruses. Viruses are not the same as bacteria because they are not alive. Therefore, The Center for Disease Control says only bacterial infections require antibiotics. Many times, even those infections improve without them.
This plays into antibiotic resistance. As a result, The World Health Organization says “global awareness of all these issues remains relatively low.” The instructions on the bottle must be followed exactly. If they are not, it could lead to dire consequences.
One of the biggest consequences is bacteria becoming resistant. This means that future illnesses will be harder to treat. It is important to know the differences between bacterial infections and viruses. When going to the doctor, one shouldn’t expect to be prescribed anything.
They should also never be reused or saved for another illness. The CDC ultimately recommends taking precautions to avoid getting sick. Some of these include always washing hands whenever possible, getting vaccines, and always remaining home when a sickness starts to come on.
Doctors and clinics should always follow guidelines when making prescriptions.
For more information on this event, click here:
https://www.cdc.gov/antibiotic-use/week/toolkit.html?deliveryName=USCDC_426-DHQP-DM13163
https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/antibiotic-overuse.html
For information on why getting a vaccine for pneumococcal disease is so important, click here:
https://americanmedicalcompliance.com/vaccines-for-pneumococcal-disease/
