Dr. Vivek Sharma
“Even diseases have lost their prestige, there aren’t so many of them left. Think it over …………. no more syphilis, no more clap, no more typhoid ……”. Antibiotics have taken half the tragedy out of medicine.”
– Louis Ferdinandcelie, quotes
(French writer and physician 1894-1961)
Your doctor must examine your child properly do all the possible tests for associated symptoms and get a full understanding of their health before making a diagnosis and prescribing antibiotics.
An antibiotics is something that kills bacteria or slows the growth of bacteria. They are used as medicines to cure diseases caused by bacteria.
Patient might need different types or different amounts of antibiotics depending on what bacteria is causing their health problems. Because of this, antibiotics should always be used under the supervision of a medical doctor. The doctor can also watch for side effects and change the patients treatment when necessary.
Antibiotics are very useful when your body is infected by a bacteria. Antibiotics don’t kill viruses so it is useless against a viral infection. A doctor must determine if a patients infection is of viral or bacterial origin before taking antibiotics. This is another reason why a medical doctor should prescribe antibiotics instead of relying on self medication.
Anibiotics arent always the answer
Antibiotics can be life savers, but misuse has increased the number of drug resistant germs. Antibiotics do not fight infection caused by viruses like colds, flu, most sore throats and bronchitis. Even many sinuses and ear infection can get better without antibiotics instead symptom relief might be the best treatment option for these infections.
Taking antibiotics for viral infection such as colds, flue most sore throats and bronchitis.
* Will not cure the infection
* Will not keep other people from getting sick
* Will not help your child feel better.
* May cause unnecessary and harmful side effects.
* May contribute to antibiotics resistance, which is when bacteria are able to resist the efforts of an antibiotic and continue to cause harm.
Points to Ponder
* You don’t need a clock to do the right think on time but you need a doctor’s prescription to take the right antibiotics on time.
* Self help is the best help, but self medication is not.
* Surplus food must be donated, and not disposed off, but surplus antibiotics must be disposed off and not donated.
* Save trees, but do not save unused antibiotics.
* Pick and choose clothing and apparel casually, but do not pick and choose antibiotics casually.
* Conserve water for future use, but do not conserve unused antibiotic strips for future use.
* Consume electricity as per your requirement, but complete the antibiotic course as per doctor’s prescription
* Skipping rope will keep you healthy, but skipping your antibiotic dose, won’t
* Recycle old paper, but don’t reuse previously brought medicines.
* Pick products of your own choice, but don’t try the same with antibiotics.
*Say yes to carpooling but say no to sharing antibiotics.
Do you know ?
Medicines with a red line on the strip should never be consumed without a doctors prescription. Lookout for the Redline and be responsible.
Used properly antibiotics are quite important to the human body, as they have revolutionized the treatment and cure of many infectious diseases. On the downside, they have also become a lot of curse – perhaps because they were so successful in the first place, that they went from being used rationally to irrationally and with serious consequences.
(The writer is a consultant paediatrician based in Jaipur)
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