So your child has been coughing and sneezing for a week, has a bit of fever, a little green mucous coming from the nose, and has missed school or childcare, which causes you to miss work.  You see the pediatrician to get a prescription for an antibiotic, but you walk out disappointed.  Why didn’t they prescribe what you wanted?

Since penicillin was first manufactured in the 1940s, antibiotics have been quite successful in treating bacterial infections, reducing the spread of disease, and saving many lives.  In the last few years, though, it’s been determined that overuse of antibiotics has led to the growth and spread of antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections.

Check out this article at USA Today.

Even so, your child’s pediatrician will not shy from using antibiotics when they are warranted.  Here’s the thing:  antibiotics are completely ineffective against colds or other viruses.  Your child may sometimes feel better after taking antibiotics, simply because the virus began to subside on its own as the body fights back.

Research continues to create new antiviral drugs that will work against viruses (with much success in the area of influenza).  In the meantime, don’t forget that antibiotics work only in the fight against bacterial infections, and also with some funguses and parasites.  And if you do take an antibiotic, MAKE SURE YOU TAKE ALL THAT ARE PRESCRIBED.  Stopping the course just because you feel better can lead to drug-resistant infections later on.

Corinne, age 5

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