| If you take an antibiotic every time you or your child suffers the sniffles, think things through again. Colds and most sore throats, alongside the flu and other viral infections, do not react to the bacteria-killing properties of these powerful drugs. Instead, the illness should run its course, as the immune system works as a healer.
Then when should you use antibiotics? Below is a primer on these wonderful medicines and the bacterial infections they target.
Viral vs. Bacterial
Most diseases infect our bodies via microorganisms. Viruses and bacteria differ in size, structure and method of reproduction, not to mention the ways in which they are treated. While doctors have safe and effective vaccines to inoculate against a number of viruses, they do not have safe and efficient drugs to cure or treat most of them.
Penicillin made it possible
Penicillin was discovered in 1944. Nowadays, antibiotics are among the most commonly prescribed drugs worldwide, either fighting off germs outright or preventing them from multiplying.
Disadvantage of a very upside drug
Antibiotics can lead to many more medical problems, when not used properly. Common use and misuse in the sick over time have jeopardized antibiotics' capability to fight off bacteria. In our time, almost all bacteria are insensitive to the properties of the potent drugs, so that more lately developed antibiotics are sometimes required to combat infections once easily treated. Antibiotics can also lead to complications, for instance vaginal yeast infections and diarrhoea.
So the next time you want an antibiotic to ward off a cold, ask your GP how to handle the symptoms instead. Do not be surprised if your family doctor has suggested 'watchful waiting' to see if symptoms eventually merit a prescription.
If you are taking an antibiotic, observe instructions. Your dosage has been calculated to kill bacteria throughout the course of the illness. Thus, if you do not finish, you may find yourself at the risk of leaving enough microbes in your body to resume the infection - despite the fact that you are feeling good. The remaining medicine will be insufficient to kill off the microbes the next time, and it may even make them resistant to antibiotics.
The most suitable option to lessen the risk of antibiotic resistance is, first and foremost, to avoid getting sick.
Washing hands is the most efficacious measure you can take to prevent transmitting diseases. So scrub with warm, soapy water for 15 seconds, then rinse properly. You will be doing your essential part for prevention. |
