These common ailments and can be unpleasant for children and their caregivers, but are most often caused by viral infections and do not need to be treated with antibiotics.<\/p>\n
Antibiotics rarely speed up recovery for these conditions and have\u00a0no effect on viruses.<\/p>\n
Instead, our children\u2019s \u2018super bodies\u2019 get to work, and most children with a normal immune system and up to date immunisations will recover in the same amount of time\u00a0with or without\u00a0antibiotics.<\/p>\n
You know your children best, so do seek medical help if you are concerned about their symptoms, or if their \u2018super bodies\u2019 need a bit more support because they are immunosuppressed or have other existing medical conditions.<\/p>\n
Keeping antibiotics working for those in need<\/p>\n
Common illnesses such as coughs, ear ache and sore throats don\u2019t usually need treating with antibiotics, and your child will get better without taking unnecessary medication.<\/p>\n
In fact, antibiotics are no longer routinely used to treat most infections, because:<\/p>\n
\tMany infections in children are caused by viruses, so antibiotics are not effective
\n \tAntibiotics are often unlikely to speed up the healing process
\n \tAntibiotics can cause unwanted side effects for your child, such as rash and diarrhoea
\n \tThe more often antibiotics are used to treat minor conditions, the more likely they are to become ineffective for treating more serious conditions<\/p>\n
Antibiotic resistance<\/p>\n
Overuse of antibiotics means they\u2019re becoming less effective against bacteria and this has led to the emergence of \u2018super bugs\u2019. These are strains of bacteria that have developed resistance to many different types of antibiotics.<\/p>\n
They can be serious and challenging to treat, and are becoming an increasing cause of disability and death across the world.<\/p>\n
Find out more about antibiotic resistance and \u2018super bugs\u2019 here.<\/p>\n
Super bodies preventing super bugs<\/p>\n
Our children\u2019s \u2018super bodies\u2019 do amazing work against common illnesses like coughs, sore throats and ear ache.<\/p>\n
By preparing ourselves with the information and knowledge to care for them at home, spot more serious symptoms, and know when and where to get help, we can support them to feel better sooner, and without unnecessary use of antibiotics.<\/p>\n
Read more on the LLR ICB website.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"