Researchers at Seattle Children's Hospital have found that antibiotics are prescribed for children twice as often as needed.
Antibiotics do not help viral infections, yet the researchers found that doctors gave young patients suffering from viral infections antibiotics 57 percent of the time, NPR reports. When a person takes antibiotics that are unable to help them, it can not only cause side effects, but also lead to an increased risk of antibiotic resistance.
In Pediatrics, the researchers called this a "pressing concern," and believe there could be 11 million unnecessary prescriptions filled every year. With the exception of running a strep test, it can be very difficult for doctors to diagnose an infection as bacterial or viral, and researchers suggest that children over age 2 with upper-respiratory infections, sore throats, ear infections, and bronchitis should wait a few days before getting a prescription.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
‘Social media is the new tabloid’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Can the NBA survive FBI’s gambling investigation?Talking Points A casualty of the ‘sports gambling revolution’
-
How are ICE’s recruitment woes complicating Trump’s immigration agenda?TODAY’S BIG QUESTION Lowered training standards and ‘athletically allergic’ hopefuls are hindering the White House plan to turn the Department of Homeland Security into a federal police force
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstancesSpeed Read
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2Speed Read
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governorSpeed Read
-
Los Angeles city workers stage 1-day walkout over labor conditionsSpeed Read
-
Mega Millions jackpot climbs to an estimated $1.55 billionSpeed Read
-
Bangladesh dealing with worst dengue fever outbreak on recordSpeed Read
-
Glacial outburst flooding in Juneau destroys homesSpeed Read
-
Scotland seeking 'monster hunters' to search for fabled Loch Ness creatureSpeed Read
