ANTIBIOTICS

The development of antibiotics more than fifty years ago has saved millions of lives that would have been lost to infection. These drugs are some of our most potent weapons against disease. Unfortunately, they come with a price. Over the last twenty years, the number of infections resistant to antibiotics has mushroomed. We are now faced with the possibility that our antibiotics may become useless. This worries us and has led us to adopt a policy limiting antibiotic use to instances where it is truly needed. This chapter is designed to explain this policy and the reasons behind it.

First, it is important to know that there are two main causes of infection in children. The first is viruses. Viruses are very tiny living things that cause diseases such as colds, the flu, stomach flu, and many ear infections. They can sometimes cause more serious illnesses such as meningitis and pneumonia. Antibiotics DO NOT work against viruses. The other cause of infections is bacteria. These are also very tiny living things (but much bigger than viruses). They commonly cause illnesses such as pneumonia, meningitis, ear infections, urinary tract infections, Strep throat, sinusitis, and impetigo. Antibiotics do work against bacteria, but the problem is that many of these bacteria are now resistant to the antibiotics. That makes it difficult to treat some of these infections.

It is our goal to treat only infections caused by bacteria with antibiotics. We hope that by limiting the use of these drugs, they will work when your child really needs them.

Our policy, then, is as follows:

We hope you realize that we have adopted this policy out of great concern for our patients and the possibility that resistant bacteria may harm them. We would be happy to answer any questions you have about this issue.