The days when antibiotics were doled out like Smarties for every cough and sniffle are long gone. Overall, prescription rates for antibiotics have dropped dramatically in the last few years as doctors try and combat the rising problem of antimicrobial resistance.
Last week, researchers warned that antibiotics may actually harm children who take them. Scientists at the University of Oxford and Public Health England found that preschoolers who take antibiotics for coughs and colds are more likely to get ill in the future.
Their study, published in the latest issue of the British Journal of General Practice, looked at the data from 250,000 children aged one to five and found that those who had more than two courses of antibiotics from their GP were 30 per cent more likely to visit a doctor or spend time in hospital. Scientists believe the drugs may kill beneficial bacteria in the gut which help keep other bugs and germs in check.
Professor Helen Stokes-Lampard, chairman of the Royal College of GPs, says: “This research drives home how important is it for patients – and particularly the parents of young children – to understand that antibiotics do not work for every infection and should not be prescribed for the most common childhood conditions such as colds, coughs, ear infections and sore throats, which are usually caused by viruses.”
