Go Ad-Free
logoThe People's Perspective on Medicine

Avoiding Antibiotic Overuse

Pediatricians have been encouraging their colleagues to prescribe antibiotics judiciously for children. A new study of nearly 65,000 outpatient visits by children found that too many youngsters are being given antibiotics for conditions that aren’t caused by bacteria, like allergies, asthma or the flu. An antibiotic was prescribed at 20 percent of the visits studied, with about half of those prescriptions written for broad-spectrum antibiotics. About one-fourth of the prescriptions were written for children in whom there was not a clear bacterial infection. Because overuse can contribute to antibiotic resistance, experts once again advise against such drugs when they are not warranted.
[Pediatrics, Nov. 7, 2011]

1/17/19 redirected to: https://www.peoplespharmacy.com/articles/how-serious-is-the-problem-of-inappropriate-antibiotics/

Rate this article
star-fullstar-emptystar-fullstar-emptystar-fullstar-emptystar-fullstar-emptystar-fullstar-emptystar-fullstar-emptystar-fullstar-emptystar-fullstar-emptystar-fullstar-emptystar-fullstar-empty
0- 0 ratings
About the Author
Terry Graedon, PhD, is a medical anthropologist and co-host of The People’s Pharmacy radio show, co-author of The People’s Pharmacy syndicated newspaper columns and numerous books, and co-founder of The People’s Pharmacy website. Terry taught in the Duke University School of Nursing and was an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Anthropology. She is a Fellow of the Society of Applied Anthropology. Terry is one of the country's leading authorities on the science behind folk remedies..
Tired of the ads on our website?

Now you can browse our website completely ad-free for just $5 / month. Stay up to date on breaking health news and support our work without the distraction of advertisements.

Browse our website ad-free
Join over 150,000 Subscribers at The People's Pharmacy

We're empowering you to make wise decisions about your own health, by providing you with essential health information about both medical and alternative treatment options.