Using Antibiotics Wisely

Now and then, your child may be prescribed antibiotics by his doctor when he falls ill. But did you know that antibiotics can put you and others at risk if they are not used in the right way? Read on to learn a bit more about antibiotics, and how you should use this group of medications to protect your child’s health, and that of your family.

What are antibiotics used for?

Antibiotics are antimicrobial agents. Antibiotics, such as macrolides, penicillin and cephalosporins, are a group of chemicals used to treat infections caused by bacteria and some fungi. Antibiotics work in two ways. They can either kill bacteria, or they inhibit their growth, and thus allows the body’s natural defence to overcome them. Antibiotics cannot fight infections caused by viruses. The efficacy of an antibiotic depends on its dose and frequency, and the type of microbes it acts on. Unwanted side effects like fever, nausea, rash, diarrhoea may also occur. Antibiotics can be given orally, intravenously for more serious infections, or topically, as in skin ointments and creams, or eye drops.

Antibiotic resistance

Antibiotics are usually effective in treating bacterial infections. However, globally there have been concerns in recent years about the increasing incidence of antibiotic resistance.

Antibiotic resistance is the ability of bacteria or fungi to resist the action of antibiotics, allowing them to continue to grow even in the presence of antibiotics. Antibiotics become less effective on these resilient pathogens.

As a result, bacteria continue to spread, leading to prolonged illness, serious complications, and even death. To treat resistant cases, doctors may have to prescribe stronger antibiotics or other forms of treatment, which may be more costly and could pose more side effects. In addition, the surviving antibiotic-resistant bacteria can be spread to other people and causes hard-to-treat infections.

What causes antibiotic resistance?

The longer an antibiotic is used, the higher the risk of emergence of antibiotic resistance. Antibiotic resistance is largely associated with the inappropriate use or abuse of antibiotics, as in self-prescription of antibiotics, overuse of antibiotics for prophylaxis or prevention of infections by travellers and antibiotic abuse to promote growth as in animal husbandry.

• When antibiotics are used frequently for the wrong reasons, eg viral infections, the antibiotics will not act on the offending virus. However, microbes which become exposed to antibiotics will develop strategies to overcome it. Subsequently, the antibiotic becomes less effective against the bacteria they are intended to treat, thus contributing to antibiotic resistance.
• Patients not adhering to prescription. If you do not take antibiotics according to the schedule, do not complete the full course or share antibiotic medication, the antibiotic may not wipe out all the bacteria. The surviving bacteria can evolve to acquire antibiotic resistance.

What parents need to know

Here are things you need to know to ensure that antibiotics continue to work effectively for your child when he takes the medication, and also to help prevent creating antibiotic-resistant microorganisms.

• Antibiotics can only be given on a doctor’s prescription.
• Adhere to the instructions given, ie complete the full course, and do not take extra or skip doses. Do not stop giving your child medications just because he is feeling better. There are also antibiotics for short course available.
• Antibiotics are prescribed on a case-to-case basis. The medication prescribed for your child is based on the doctor’s diagnosis for your child. The antibiotic given to your child should not be shared with other people, even if they seem to experience a similar illness.