Does Your Child Really Need that Antibiotic?

Antibiotics are wonderful tools for fighting specific illnesses. Treatment with antibiotics clearly benefits patients who are suffering from strep throat, bacterial pneumonia, urinary tract infections and many other serious bacterial infections. In some cases antibiotics are truly lifesaving. It is important to realize, though, that antibiotics are NOT the answer to making you feel better if you are dealing with a viral illness. Viruses account for the majority of fever illnesses that affect people, especially children. Colds, the flu, most vomiting/diarrhea illnesses, and most sore throat illnesses are caused by viruses. Antibiotics do nothing to kill or fight off viruses; antibiotics kill bacteria and only help in illnesses caused by bacteria.

So, what is the big deal anyway?

What harm is there in giving an antibiotic when you’re sick with a fever “just in case it’s something else?” The answer is that everything is wrong with this approach. It is not good for the person getting the antibiotic and it is not good for the world. Antibiotics work to kill specific bacterial infections, but they can and do alter the normal healthy bacteria of the body at the same time. These bacteria are part of a complex internal ecosystem and some of these alterations may cause other unintended health issues. Exposure to antibiotics also increases the likelihood of the development of resistant organisms in the person and in the world. This is a very real issue and has some people in medical circles talking about “the post-antibiotic era.” Imagine what it would be like if antibiotics were to no longer work anymore.

Let’s review a little history.

Antibiotic use only began in the 1940s when Penicillin was first produced after being discovered earlier by Alexander Fleming, a Scottish pharmacologist who noticed a mold inhibited the growth of certain bacteria he was growing in the lab. In those 70 years since then, the pharmaceutical industry has produced hundreds of different antibiotics. The development of antibiotics is considered one of modern medicine’s greatest achievements.

The invention and development of antibiotics dramatically changed the practice of medicine. These “miracle drugs” were widely given in the early years to treat just about any illness with fever. Eventually this widespread overuse triggered the emergence of resistant strains of bacteria. That has continued to the present: Ever hear of somebody calling their doctor to get a Z-pack because the cold and cough are hanging on?

Year by year the number of these resistant strains has steadily increased, rendering many of the earlier antibiotics ineffective and providing challenges to the medical and scientific researchers to come up with newer and effective antibiotics. In the last decade, the rate of development of these newer antibiotics has dramatically slowed. There are only a handful of new ones in development at this time.

What is needed is a change in perspective from everyone. Doctors need to be vigilant in their prescribing. When the doctor tells you that your illness is caused by a virus and what is needed is rest, fluids and time to get over it, be thankful. The immune system was designed to do this work and it will eventually get it done. If your child seems mildly ill with a fever, why not give it a few days to see if it will resolve on its own if you are suspicious that it is likely a viral process. Even if there is a mild earache or a sore throat, there is no rush to get into the physician to check this out. A good percentage of these illnesses will go away on their own if the immune system is given a chance to do its job. If symptoms are severe or have you worried, have things checked out.

Remember that leaving the office with a diagnosis of a viral illness and without an antibiotic is not a bad thing. It is something to be glad about.

For more information about antibiotics and other medical resources, please visit our website: www.essehealth.com.

By Dr. Charles Dougherty, Esse Health Pediatrician
Esse Health Tesson Ferry Pediatrics
13303 Tesson Ferry Rd., Suite 150
St. Louis, MO 63128
Phone: 314-842-5239