Antibiotics Alert: Can They Harm Your Child?

Antibiotics Alert: Can They Harm Your Child?
Did you know that antibiotics can actually harm your child?  Even when used properly, antibiotics can sometimes wipe out the beneficial bacteria in the body, leaving your child vulnerable to deadly attack from the resistant and harmful ones.  And because of overuse, many bacteria have become resistant to even our most powerful antibiotics – which poses a HUGE danger to your child if he becomes infected with one of these resistant strains.  Join us to meet a young girl who almost died from the unintended consequences of an antibiotic – and find out what YOU need to know, to use them properly, and to protect your child.

Guests:

Mary Papadakos, Mother who uses antibiotics
Christina and Dean Papadakos, Mary’s Children
Brandy Lauder, Age 17
George Lauder, Father of Brandy
Madelyn Kahana, MD - Pediatric Anesthesiologist; - Pediatric Anesthesiologist; Medical Director, Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, University of Chicago Comer Children's Hospital
Bonnie Offit, MD, FAAP - Pediatrician; Co-Medical Director of Kids First-Haverford/Radnor, Co-Author, Breaking the Antibiotic Habit: A Parent’s
Guide to Coughs, Colds, Ear Infections and Sore Throats

Tips:

There are two kinds of infections – bacterial and viral – and antibiotics work ONLY against bacterial infections.  They are of NO use whatsoever in fighting viruses.  And since they are actually capable of causing harm under certain circumstances – like when they help create antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria, or when they kill off certain helpful kinds of bacteria that are necessary to maintain the balance of organisms in a healthy body – they should not be used unless a doctor believes they are necessary or appropriate to fight a bacterial (not viral!) infection.

Here are some examples of viral and bacterial infections:

Viral Infections DON’T Use Antibiotics

• Most sore throats
• Common colds, coughs (including bronchitis) influenza & viral pneumonia
• Some ear infections

Bacterial Infections USE Antibiotics

• Strep throat
• Some lengthy sinus infections, bacterial pneumonia
• Most ear infections
  

Resources:

Centers for Disease Control
www.cdc.gov/getsmart

Reducing Antibiotics for Children
http://www.reachmass.org/

American Academy of Family Physicians
http://www.familydoctor.org/  (search for antibiotics)

Alliance for the Prudent Use of Antibiotics
http://www.apua.org/
617-636-0966

Books:

Breaking the Antibiotic Habit: A Parent’s Guide to Coughs, Colds, Ear Infections and Sore Throats by Co-Authors Paul A. Offit, MD, Bonnie Fass-Offit, M.D., and Louis M. Bell, MD

Winnie King, M.D.