Parents can often have different expectations when they go and see their pediatrician when their baby is sick. Most just want to make sure their child is OK.
Some parents expect a prescription for an antibiotic at the first sign that their child has a runny nose or cough. Most of these kids have simple viral infections though and don't need an antibiotic though.This unnecessary or overuse of antibiotics can make it more likely that antibiotics won't work when your child has a bacterial infection does really need them.
Viral Infections vs Bacteria
While antibiotics can work to treat most bacterial infections, viruses are a different type of germ and don't respond to antibiotics.
Common viral infections that children get and for which you should not usually get an antibiotic prescription include:
- the common cold, even if your child has a yellow or green runny nose, which can last 7 to 10 days when your child has a cold
- the flu
- sore throats, unless your child has a positive strep test
- acute bronchitis, although sometimes chronic bronchitis, with a cough that has lasted for more than two weeks, is treated with antibiotics
- having middle ear fluid (otitis media with effusion), which is common for a few months after an ear infection
Antibiotic Overuse
If your child has a virus, taking an antibiotic won't help him get better any faster, won't make him less contagious, and usually won't keep it from getting worse.
And in addition to the issue of antibiotic resistance, when bacteria become harder to fight and common antibiotics don't work anymore, and the cost of the antibiotics, taking an antibiotic when it isn't needed puts your child at risk for side effects from the medicine. These include diarrhea, rashes, and allergic reactions.
