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ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE: WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

How You Can Protect Your Family

You have probably seen television programs and news articles, talking about antibiotic resistance. They warn that infections are getting harder to treat. What is antibiotic resistance? How is it spreading? What can you do to prevent it? 

Bacteria are what cause infection. Antibiotics are drugs used to kill the bacteria. Antibiotic resistance is the ability of the bacteria to change itself so that the antibiotic no longer will kill it. For example many children get sore throats. When your child is ill, you want them to get better fast, so they can go to school and play as they usually do. Antibiotics are not always the best treatment. Most sore throats are caused by viruses, which cannot be killed by antibiotics. If an antibiotic is used to treat an infection from a virus, only good bacteria that normally protect your child’s throat will be killed. This will allow bad bacteria to come in and take over or change and resist future treatment. These changed bacteria become stronger and can spread to others, causing new and more serious infections. 

So what can you do to protect your family from resistant bacteria? 

• Make frequent good hand-washing routine for you and your family

• Make sure everyone's immunizations are up-to-date. This includes tetanus and flu.

• Trust your doctor to decide if an antibiotic is appropriate for your illness. For example with a sore throat your doctor may use a simple throat culture to be sure that bacteria are the cause of the sore throat. If a virus is causing it they will tell you what you can do to make your child feel better.

When antibiotics are prescribed: 

• Take as directed.

•  Keep taking medicine even though they may be feeling better.

• If the medicine is not finished as directed the infection could return.

• If told to stop taking the medicine discard any that is unused.

• Do not keep  medicine to use again later.

•  Use the medicine only for the family member for whom it was prescribed.