A Mom's Impression | Recipes, Crafts, Entertainment and Family Travel

Profesional Indianapolis Mom Blogger talking about parening, food, entertainment, and activities to do with your kids.

  • Home
  • Recipes
    • Appetizers
    • Breakfast
    • Main Dishes
    • Soup
    • Side Dishes
    • Desserts
    • Instant Pot Recipes
    • Kid Friendly
    • Meal Prep
  • Activities
    • Crafts
    • Home Decor and Home Improvement
  • Travel
  • Entertainment
    • Disney
  • Parenting
    • Kids
    • Baby
    • Education
  • About Me
    • Meet The Mom
    • Contact Me
    • Private Policy and Disclosures
    • Brands I Have Worked With
    • My Bucket List
  • Join

Home » CDC’s Be Antibiotics Aware Educational Effort


CDC’s Be Antibiotics Aware Educational Effort

By Mom Note: This Post May Contain Affiliate Links Which Means We Earn a Small Commision.

This is a post prepared under a contract funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and written on behalf of the Mom It Forward Influencer Network for use in CDC’s Be Antibiotics Aware educational effort. Opinions on this blog are my own and do not necessarily reflect the views of CDC.

CDC’s Be Antibiotics Aware Educational Effort

Be Antibiotics Aware

As a mom, there is nothing worse than seeing your children sick. My immediate reaction is to do everything in my power to help my children feel better. Sometimes this involves bringing my children to the pediatrician to see if they need to be put on an antibiotic. Sometimes the doctor prescribes one, and sometimes he doesn’t.

To be honest, I always wondered why he did or didn’t give us an antibiotic. There have been times when I expected that we would leave with a prescription, but didn’t. It has left me a little confused about when my child should be taking an antibiotic.

I am not the only confused parent. Recently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) launched Be Antibiotics Aware, an educational effort to inform people about what antibiotics treat (bacteria) and what they don’t treat (viruses).

How Do Antibiotics Work?

Like most of us, I have been on antibiotics several times in my life. My kids have been prescribed antibiotics when they have had bacterial infections, such as some ear infections. Antibiotics work by killing bacterial infections in your body. They are used to treat bacteria and not viruses.

How do Antibiotics work?

Antibiotics save lives. They are critical to treat serious infections, such as pneumonia or sepsis, the body’s extreme response to an infection.

When a patient needs antibiotics, the benefits usually outweigh the risks of side effects or antibiotic resistance. Side effects range from minor problems, like a rash, to very severe health problems, such as a C. difficile (C. diff) infection.

Antibiotic resistance

Antibiotic resistance is a big deal and can cause big problems. Every time you take an antibiotic it can lead to antibiotic resistance. That does not mean the body is becoming resistant to antibiotics; it means that bacteria develop the ability to defeat the antibiotics designed to kill them. When bacteria become resistant, antibiotics cannot fight them, and the bacteria multiply. Some resistant bacteria can be harder to treat and can spread to other people, so this issue affects all of us!

To help guard against antibiotic resistance, it is important to know when your family does and doesn’t need antibiotics.

Fever

When do you need antibiotics?

It can be confusing when you go to the doctor, and you or your child are not feeling well, and the doctor does not give you any medicine to make you feel better. I admit that in the past I have been a little frustrated by this. However, it is important to understand that antibiotics are only needed for treating certain infections caused by bacteria. Antibiotics do not work on viruses that cause colds and flu, bronchitis, or runny noses, even if the mucus is thick, yellow, or green. Antibiotics won’t help some common infections caused by bacteria, including many sinus infections and some ear infections. When antibiotics aren’t needed, they won’t help you, and the side effects could still hurt you.

What are the side effect of antibiotics?

How you can Be Antibiotics Aware

Side effects and antibiotic resistance are scary, but there are things you can do to be antibiotics aware.

  • If you need antibiotics, take them exactly as prescribed. Talk with your doctor if you have any questions about your antibiotics or if you develop any side effects, especially diarrhea, since that could be a C. diff infection.
  • Stay healthy and keep others healthy by cleaning hands, covering coughs, staying home when sick, and getting recommended vaccines—for the flu, for example. To protect against illnesses, follow the CDC immunization schedule for you and/or your loved ones.

How to prevent antibiotic overuse

Being a mom and taking care of my family is the most important job I can ever have. My family’s health is my first priority. I am grateful to CDC for making me more aware of antibiotic resistance and how I can protect my loved ones.

It is important to understand that antibiotics aren’t always the answer. Improving the way we take antibiotics helps keep us healthy now, helps fight antibiotic resistance, and ensures that life-saving antibiotics will be available for future generations.

To learn more about antibiotic prescribing and use, visit www.cdc.gov/antibiotic-use.

To learn more about sepsis, a life-threatening condition that is treated with antibiotics, visit www.cdc.gov/sepsis.

 

Filed Under: Health

Previous article:
« Instant Pot Pulled Pork
Next article:
Instant Pot Pizza Egg Bites »

About Mom

Kat Hodson is the founder of A Mom's Impression, a wife to a handsome man, a mom to a beautiful girl, a sweet boy, and a first grade teacher. She loves to shop, cook, read, take photos, and hang out with her family. Her life may be hectic, but it is an exciting ride!

I am a Midwestern Mommy born and raised in the Pacific Northwest. I am married to my soul mate, and together we have begun the ride of our lives… Parenthood. Together we are figuring out how to make it work with two full-time jobs, a 6 year old and his four year old sister. READ MORE ABOUT KATHY
Get All the latest straight to your inbox!

Archives

Click Here for Privacy Policy

Categories

A Mom's Impression is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

search

Copyright ©2021, A Mom's Impression | Recipes, Crafts, Entertainment and Family Travel. All Rights Reserved. Design by Pixel Me Designs
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.OkRead more