Antibiotics are effective against bacteria. They can prevent strep throat from leading to rheumatic fever and some ear infections from spreading to the brain. When this happens, your child may not respond to antibiotics when they really are needed. When people become ill with a resistant infection, they may need to be hospitalized to treat the bacterial illness with more powerful intravenous antibiotics. The stronger drugs also are more likely to have side effects.
Resistant bacteria are on the rise in Washington, according to state health officials.
Last year, the bacteria that most commonly cause ear infections were found to be resistant to penicillin in about 30 percent of cases. That seems to be more of a problem in larger communities, however. All three hospitals already had programs in place, and the problem is manageable now, he said. As part of the state's campaign, the Department of Health is printing pamphlets explaining the problems of excessive use of antibiotics. Many doctors already use similar material to convince patients they don't need antibiotics, Keegan said.