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What are the side effects of taking antibiotics?
In recent years, the unreasonable use of antibacterial drugs has made bacterial drug resistance increasingly serious, and serious adverse reactions have occurred from time to time. The irrational use of antibacterial drugs in clinic is mainly manifested in the use of antibacterial drugs without clear target indications (such as the treatment of viral infectious diseases and preventive drugs without clear indications); In order to follow the principle of "minimum effective dose and shortest necessary course of treatment", for example, long-term use of large doses of antibiotics after aseptic operation will not only waste a lot of antibiotics, but also easily induce drug-resistant pathogenic strains; In the choice of drugs, we choose expensive new drugs and imported drugs instead of basic drugs according to the principle of being effective and cheap. Narrow-spectrum antibacterial drugs that are effective against pathogenic bacteria are not preferred, and various broad-spectrum antibacterial drugs or even multiple antibacterial drugs are favored.

Human pharmaceutical research is facing a new topic-what to use instead of antibiotics to treat diseases after the abuse of antibiotics is prohibited. There are many normal flora in human body, and normal flora is indispensable to human body. The role of antibiotics is to kill bacteria, whether they are bacteria or probiotics useful to human body. Antibiotics kill both pathogenic bacteria and probiotics. It leads to the imbalance of normal flora in human body, which in turn leads to many diseases, such as intestinal flora imbalance, diarrhea, and a series of adverse reactions of human digestion and nutrient absorption.

Another bad result of flora imbalance is that normal bacteria that were not pathogenic have also mutated into pathogenic bacteria. In addition, the abuse of antibiotics has also caused bacterial resistance, making it difficult for many drugs to treat diseases. In addition, antibiotics themselves have toxic side effects, so don't use antibiotics casually.

After the abuse of antibiotics is banned, what can replace antibiotics to treat diseases? The artificial production of ecological probiotics has been gradually recognized by the scientific community. In fact, the principle of antibiotics is anti-infection, and probiotics of ecological preparations are mainly anti-infection, because they have anti-infection effect and improve human immunity.

The shocking abuse of antibiotics

Health Times Zhang Xianhuai

1928, British bacteriologist Benjamin invented penicillin. Since then, antibiotics represented by penicillin have saved thousands of lives and made immortal contributions to human health. However, due to the excessive dependence and abuse of antibiotics in recent years, drug-resistant strains have developed rapidly and become one of the three major pathogenic microorganisms that pose a threat to human health alongside multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis and HIV. People are worried that due to the persistence of antibiotics, will human beings return to the era without oxytetracycline?

1992 In an international hospital infection training course held in Tongxian County, Beijing, all 67 medical staff had a microbiological examination of nasopharynx. The head nurse in a hospital in Beijing was resistant to all the tested antibiotics. People are worried about what medicine the doctor will use to treat her if she is infected.

1, drug-resistant bacteria gradually "invulnerability"

2 1 century, human beings will be threatened by three major pathogenic microorganisms: multidrug-resistant tuberculosis, HIV and drug-resistant strains in hospital infection, among which the development speed of drug-resistant strains is shocking.

According to Zhang Yanxia, deputy director of the Hospital Infection Committee of the whole army and director of the Infection Control Department of 304 Hospital, streptococcus was the main cause of hospital infection in the 1920s. In 1990s, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), enterococcus, penicillin-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae, fungi and other drug-resistant bacteria were produced. Quinolones have only been in China for more than 20 years, and the drug resistance rate has reached 60%-70%.

The emergence of a large number of drug-resistant bacteria makes more and more refractory infections, and the cost of treating infectious diseases is getting higher and higher. For example, penicillin-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae used to be sensitive to penicillin, erythromycin, sulfanilamide and other drugs, but now it is almost impeccable. The resistance rate of Pseudomonas aeruginosa to 8 kinds of antibiotics such as amoxicillin and Heineken reached 100%, and the resistance rate of Klebsiella pneumoniae to 6 kinds of high-grade antibiotics such as Heineken and Fudaxin reached 5 1.85%- 100%. However, there is no cure for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus except vancomycin.

Director Zhang said that the infection caused by multi-drug resistant bacteria poses a serious threat to human health, and the abuse of antibiotics has paid a heavy price for human beings. In 1950s, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus was first infected in Europe and America, which quickly swept the world, with 50 million people infected and more than 500,000 people dying.

The battle between human beings and pathogenic bacteria has never stopped. From the development history of bacterial drug resistance, it can be seen that after the emergence of a new antibiotic, a number of drug-resistant strains appeared. It usually takes about 10 years for medical workers to develop a new antibiotic, but it only takes two years for the first generation of drug-resistant bacteria to produce, so the speed of antibiotic development can't keep up with the breeding speed of drug-resistant bacteria. At present, many seriously infected people die in clinic, mostly because of drug-resistant bacteria infection, and antibiotics are ineffective.

Many experts worry that "the abuse of antibiotics will mean the end of the antibiotic era." People have to worry that in the near future, there will be a kind of bacteria resistant to all antibiotics, and mankind will return to the era when there was no penicillin in the last century.

In America, it is easy to buy guns, but it is difficult to buy antibiotics. Antibiotics are strictly controlled prescription drugs, and doctors are punished for disorderly meetings. Patients must have a prescription to buy antibiotics. In China, people can buy antibiotics in pharmacies at will, and the abuse of antibiotics is very common.

2. Who is to blame for abusing antibiotics?

Wen Zhongguang, director of the respiratory department of 304 Hospital, said that although rational use of antibiotics can also produce drug-resistant bacteria, it can at least delay the development of drug-resistant bacteria. An international survey by the World Health Organization shows that about 30% of patients in hospitals use antibiotics, and the cost of antibiotics accounts for 15%-30% of the total drug expenditure. In 2000, a hospital in China investigated the use of antibiotics among inpatients in this hospital. Among them, 80.2% used antibiotics, and 58% used broad-spectrum antibiotics or a combination of two or more antibiotics, which greatly exceeded the international average.

One is a doctor. Every doctor has the right to prescribe antibiotics, and not every doctor knows how to use antibiotics reasonably. Some doctors are not strict with the indications of using antibiotics, do not pay attention to pathogenic examination in clinic, and use antibiotics only by experience; Some people don't understand the pharmacokinetic characteristics of various antibiotics, and the dosage, route and interval of administration are very irregular. Driven by economic interests, some doctors prescribe many unnecessary high-grade antibiotics to patients, which accelerates the emergence of drug-resistant bacteria.

The second reason is the patient. Director Wen said such a thing. Once, he went to an expert clinic and received a patient with a common cold. After examining her, Director Wen prescribed 20 yuan's medicine. The patient was very unhappy and asked for antibiotics. Director Wen said that the vast majority of colds are viral infections. For people with normal immune function, antibiotics are not needed at all, because antibiotics can kill germs, but not viruses. Many people in our country lack medical knowledge and know little about the harm of abusing antibiotics. Patients often call for antibiotics in outpatient clinics. The more expensive, the better. The more upscale, the better. This is also one of the reasons for the abuse of antibiotics.

The third is social reasons. In foreign countries, antibiotics are not allowed to advertise. In our country, in order to pursue profits, pharmaceutical manufacturers broadcast a large number of antibiotics advertisements in the mass media, exaggerating their therapeutic effects, greatly misleading consumers and encouraging the abuse of antibiotics. At the beginning of this year, the State Administration of Pharmaceutical Products and the State Administration for Industry and Commerce jointly issued the "Notice on Strengthening the Examination and Management of Prescription Drug Advertisements" to ban overwhelming antibiotic advertisements, which really benefited the country and the people.

The fourth is the cause of food. In some places, chickens, ducks and other feeds are doped with antibiotics. In order to reduce the occurrence of fish diseases, some fish farmers sprinkle quinolones on the bottom of the pond when building fish ponds. On the one hand, the residual antibiotics in livestock and poultry will be transferred to human body, on the other hand, the drug-resistant bacteria produced by livestock and poultry will also spread to human body.

Director Wen said that antibiotic abuse is a serious social problem, and there should be a sense of crisis and urgency from top to bottom. He called for strengthening publicity and management, popularizing medical scientific knowledge, and enabling people to establish a scientific concept of rational use of antibiotics.

A girl caught a cold and her throat was inflamed. The local hospital treated her with antibiotics. Instead of getting better, her temperature rose to 40 degrees Celsius, and her whole body was covered with rashes. She was rushed to 304 hospital for emergency treatment. The doctor diagnosed the drug fever caused by the abuse of antibiotics, and only some glucose was lost, and the condition quickly improved. 1 A patient with bronchial asthma used a large dose of broad-spectrum antibiotics in the hospital, causing pulmonary mucormycosis. After being sent to the 304 hospital, the doctor stopped using broad-spectrum antibiotics and used antifungal drugs in a targeted manner, and recovered quickly.

3. Excessive exposure to antibiotics

Almost everyone has been exposed to antibiotics, but few people really know how to use them correctly. There are many misunderstandings in the use of antibiotics.

One of the misconceptions: antibiotics can prevent infection. In order to prevent infection, the doctor prescribed a dose of antibiotics to a patient, which caused diarrhea. The doctor stopped the diarrhea with antibiotics again, and as a result, the diarrhea became worse and worse, and his life was dying. Expert consultation believes that "antibiotic-related colitis" is caused by the abuse of antibiotics. Experts believe that. Antibiotics can only be used to treat infections caused by sensitive bacteria, not "nip in the bud". Using antibiotics to prevent infection is equivalent to vaccinating bacteria and inducing them to develop drug resistance.

Myth 2: Antibiotics can be used externally. Many surgeons often make antibiotics into liquid to clean wounds, and some people sprinkle antibiotic powder into wounds after surgery ... This is very incorrect. The textbook clearly stipulates the use of antibiotics, and all biosynthetic antibiotics, ofloxacin antibiotics and antibiotics used to treat serious infections are not allowed for external use. Rifampicin is the first choice for treating tuberculosis. The use of rifampicin abroad is strictly controlled, and external use is strictly prohibited. And many doctors in China use rifampicin to give patients some eyes. According to the survey of the World Health Organization, the drug resistance rate of tuberculosis in China is as high as 46%, which cannot be said to have nothing to do with the abuse of Divatan.

Myth 3: Broad-spectrum antibiotics are better than narrow-spectrum antibiotics. Experts believe that anti-infection treatment is a gradual process. Many patients are eager for success. After one day of use, the symptoms did not improve obviously, so doctors were asked to use other antibiotics or increase the use of other antibiotics, which gradually increased the drug resistance of bacteria. The use principle of antibiotics is that broad spectrum can be reduced; You can use low-level instead of advanced; If one can solve the problem, there is no need for two; Mild or moderate infection is generally not combined with antibiotics.

Myth 4: The new antibiotics are better than the old ones. Many people like to use drugs together with advertisements, thinking that the newer the antibiotics, the better, the more expensive the better, and the more advanced the better. It is often seen that patients call for the medicine advertised after arriving at the hospital. In fact, each antibiotic has its own characteristics, and its advantages and disadvantages are different. Generally, it is necessary to insist on individualized medication due to illness and personal choice. Erythromycin, for example, is an old-fashioned antibiotic, and its price is very cheap. It has a good curative effect on pneumonia caused by Legionella and mycoplasma. However, very expensive carbapenem antibiotics and third-generation cephalosporins have no effect on these diseases.

Myth 5: Antibiotics are anti-inflammatory drugs. Most people mistakenly believe that antibiotics can cure all inflammation. In fact, antibiotics are only applicable to inflammation caused by bacteria, not to inflammation caused by viruses. There are a lot of normal and beneficial flora in human body. If antibiotics are used to treat aseptic inflammation, these drugs will inhibit and kill beneficial bacteria in the human body after entering the human body, resulting in flora imbalance and decreased resistance. Blood stasis, redness, pain, contact dermatitis caused by allergic reaction, drug dermatitis and inflammation caused by virus, which often appear in daily life, are not suitable for antibiotic treatment.

Pathogens can be endless. Even if all the bacteria in a bacterial bank are killed, they will be colonized by other bacteria immediately. Hospital infection is like this. When the patient was hospitalized, the sensitive strain was killed after hospitalization and replaced by the drug-resistant strain of hospital medical staff or other patients.

4, jump out of the cycle, don't entangle, change your mind to fight infection.

In recent years, developed countries have put the prevention of infection on improving patients' immunity. Because most nosocomial infections are endogenous and closely related to patients' immunity. In China, Chinese medicine pays attention to "eliminating pathogenic factors and strengthening healthy energy", and the two cannot be neglected. Antibiotics mainly kill pathogens, but only through the body's own immunity. Therefore, there should be other measures to enhance the body's resistance, and two measures can achieve the best results.

For a long time, we have been caught in a vicious circle of "infection-using antibiotics-cultivating drug-resistant strains-causing new infections-using antibiotics again". In the early 1990s, Professor Xiong Dexin, deputy director of the Microecology Branch of the Chinese Preventive Medicine Association, put forward the viewpoint of "using microecology therapy to prevent and treat diseases". The difference with antibiotics is that antibiotics treat diseases by inhibiting and killing pathogenic microorganisms. Microecological therapy is to support physiological microorganisms, adjust and improve the internal environment of human microecosystem, promote microecological balance, and improve the immune level and resistance of the body, so as to achieve the effect of preventing and treating diseases. It is predicted that the 20th century will be the glorious period of antibiotics, and the 2nd/kloc-0th century will be the golden age of microecological therapy.

Experts talk about the harm of abusing antibiotics.

In fact, we are all familiar with antibiotics. Strictly speaking, antibiotics are drugs that can inhibit and kill all living things at very low concentrations. For example, our drugs against bacteria, viruses, parasites and even anti-tumor drugs belong to the category of antibiotics. But in daily life and medical treatment, antibiotics are mainly drugs for bacteria, viruses and microorganisms.

There are many kinds of antibiotics, which can be divided into more than ten categories. There should be more than 100 varieties commonly used in clinic, such as penicillin, which we commonly use. There are also many kinds of cephalosporins and erythromycin. Each species has its own characteristics and is used for different diseases, people, bacteria and so on. Therefore, it is necessary to make appropriate choices according to different people and different diseases.

Antibiotics are different from antibacterial drugs and anti-inflammatory drugs.

Antibiotics are widely used and varied, and their popularity among the general population is very high, resulting in the confusion of their names. For a long time, not only the general public, but also some professionals are not sure about the definition of strict antibiotics.

The difference between antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs

Generally speaking, anti-inflammatory drugs are probably antibiotics, but in fact, strictly speaking, anti-inflammatory drugs and antibiotics should be two different types of drugs. Antibiotics we use do not work directly against inflammation, but kill microorganisms that cause inflammation, while anti-inflammatory drugs are aimed at inflammation, such as commonly used non-steroidal anti-inflammatory and analgesic drugs such as aspirin.

The difference between antibacterial drugs and antibiotics

They have a large-scale and small-scale relationship. Antibiotics are aimed at all organisms that can be cured and killed, including bacteria, viruses, parasites and tumor cells. Antibacterials mainly kill bacteria. Because in addition to bacteria, there are many microorganisms that can cause human infections. For example, last year's SARS epidemic was a virus infection and needed antiviral drugs. Both antiviral drugs and antibacterial drugs can be counted as antibiotics. Antibiotics are generalized, while antibacterial drugs are specific.

Current situation of antibiotic use in China: very unreasonable.

The utilization rate of antibiotics is very high. Clinically, almost every department and every professional doctor is using antibiotics. In addition to hospitals, antibiotics are also available in every family. But there must be many unreasonable places in the application of antibiotics.

Comparison with developed countries

In developed countries in Europe and America, the usage of antibiotics accounts for about 10% of all drugs. The lowest hospitals in China account for 30%, and the primary hospitals may be as high as 50%. Antibiotic abuse is an inevitable problem for the following reasons:

1. Due to the primary stage of social development, the country's research ability and original ability are not strong, drugs are mainly copied, and many pharmaceutical companies are producing antibiotics;

2. There are hundreds of pharmaceutical manufacturers producing the same antibiotic, and there may be vicious competition in market sales, which may lead to unreasonable use of antibiotics;

3. The division of labor in medical development is becoming more and more detailed, and every doctor has his own professional problems. Antibiotics are commonly used drugs, which are not as professional as this major, so they will be misused or abused;

4. Patients habitually take antibiotics to treat diseases. For example, if you have a cold, according to the medical point of view, many colds are viral infections. Strictly speaking, there is no specific medicine, just symptomatic treatment, and no antibiotics are needed. However, everyone may have had such an experience. After catching a cold, they habitually buy some cold medicine in the drugstore and add some antibiotics to use. In fact, antibiotics are useless, wasted and abused at this time.

In our country's drug laws and regulations, prescription drugs and over-the-counter drugs have been divided for a long time. Antibiotics should belong to prescription drugs, but in the process of drug sales, does anyone need to show a prescription to buy drugs? In addition to traditional Chinese medicine, western medicine can be purchased under the name, and even pharmaceutical supermarkets let them choose their own medicines, which will undoubtedly lead to the abuse of antibiotics;

6. Antibiotics are widely used in animal husbandry. We often hear reports that some antibiotic residues have been detected in the food exported from China and refused to leave the customs. As far as I know, the amount of antibiotics used in animal husbandry far exceeds the sum of human consumption. There are many antibiotics in the environment, and the bacteria in the environment have accepted antibiotics and developed drug resistance. It is more difficult for the human body to get the infection treatment of drug-resistant bacteria.

Therefore, the use of antibiotics is not only a problem in China, but also a global problem.

Two aspects of nonstandard use of antibiotics

Cause bacterial drug resistance

The emergence of bacterial resistance is much faster than the development of new drugs. In the long run, we may return to the state before 1970s and 1980s. If antibiotics are not used, human beings will face the threat of many infectious diseases again. For example, tuberculosis is an infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Many years ago, people thought it was well controlled, but now there are so many drug-resistant mycobacterium tuberculosis that it is very difficult to treat. This may lead to an increase in mortality, and the social resources spent on treating drug-resistant tuberculosis are more than ten times that of treating a non-drug-resistant tuberculosis, resulting in a very heavy social burden;

Side effects of antibiotics

Antibiotics will cause many adverse reactions while playing a therapeutic role, and the more they are used, the higher the chance of causing adverse reactions. According to the records of China Adverse Drug Reaction Monitoring Center, one third of the adverse drug reactions in China are caused by antibiotics, which is consistent with the proportion of antibiotics used. There are many kinds of antibiotics, which cause adverse reactions or serious adverse reactions involving various systems of the body. Rational use of antibiotics is an urgent problem.

The State Food and Drug Administration of the United States issued a notice on promoting the rational use of antibacterial drugs, calling on people not to buy antibacterial drugs themselves, but to use antibacterial drugs reasonably under the guidance of doctors. This is a responsible move for the people, and everyone should actively participate. Not only professional medical personnel need to use antibiotics rationally, but also ordinary people and patients should have the awareness of rational use, use them under the guidance of doctors, and don't buy antibiotics blindly. Only in this way can we promote the rational use of antibiotics in China and avoid the adverse drug reactions and the increasing drug resistance of bacteria.

Experts answer frequently asked questions about antibiotics.

Q: What are the hazards of antibiotics?

Professor Xiao Yonghong replied: On the one hand, antibiotics themselves are a kind of medicine, which will produce many adverse reactions after being widely used, which is common to all. For example, children who are deaf after using gentamicin and amikacin will become deaf in the future, and adults may have kidney problems when using them. Erythromycin also contains tetracycline, which can cause liver damage when used in large quantities, and affect the development of teeth and bones when used by children. The adverse reactions caused by each antibiotic are diverse, basically involving every organ and system of the human body, but the focus of each drug is different. On the other hand, antibiotics will produce drug resistance, and other drugs do not have this problem. After using antibiotics, microorganisms will become resistant to them. Microorganism itself is a life. Just like our human body, if something from outside invades, it will defend itself, defend itself and fight back, and the final result is drug resistance. This is a measure for bacteria to protect themselves. If we abuse antibiotics, these pathogenic microorganisms in the environment are all drug-resistant, so it is difficult to have effective drug treatment, and finally it is our own human beings who are hurt.

It is recognized that antibiotics are the greatest medical discovery in the 20th century, and its discovery has contributed at least 10 years to the extension of human life, which is remarkable. Antibiotics were actually used in clinic in 194 1 year. Penicillin was first discovered and was called "magic egg" at that time. At that time, it was a very effective drug with a small dosage, but now even millions of units of penicillin are not very effective, which is its drug resistance. Antibiotics have been developed for about 60 years, and the first 30 years are better. In the past 30 years, mankind has faced constant challenges. The so-called challenge comes from itself and the consequences of irrational drug use. Some pessimistic scholars believe that if the abuse of antibiotics is no longer controlled, human beings may lose the beneficial therapeutic weapon of antibiotics in 2 1 century and return to the era without antibiotics, that is, the so-called "post-antibiotic era". We all know that the "post-XX era" is better. For example, the "post-industrial era" is an information age. However, the post-antibiotic era is retrogressive, and we may return to the state where there is no medicine available, and a large number of infectious diseases will endanger human health and life. Although this is a pessimistic idea, pessimism is justified. It is a real phenomenon that bacteria develop drug resistance much faster than the development of new drugs. For example, ofloxacin, a commonly used drug in clinic, was first used in the early 1980s, and it didn't take long for bacteria to develop drug resistance.

Q: What is drug resistance?

Professor Xiao Yonghong replied: People, bacteria, viruses and fungi are all living things. Although the composition of human beings is very complex and bacteria and viruses are very simple, as creatures, when life is threatened, they must fight back and resist. For example, when people are in danger, they will take some measures, such as running away, fighting back and defending themselves. So do bacteria, viruses or fungi. Its drug resistance is similar to ours. Without antibiotics, it can produce some hydrolases to hydrolyze antibiotics, and it can also prevent antibiotics from entering its cells through isolation. It can be said that bacteria can think of ways to resist foreign invasion. Although bacteria are small, they are very clever elves. Destroying them is not that simple.

Q: How to use antibiotics safely and avoid drug resistance as much as possible?

Professor Xiao Yonghong: It's very simple, that is, it should be used reasonably under the guidance of a doctor, not blindly. After getting sick, you can generally buy some symptomatic drugs according to your own situation. For example, if you think you have a cold, you can buy some cold medicine instead of antibiotics. If you really think it's a bacterial infection, you should consult your doctor to decide whether to use antibiotics.

Q: Every time my baby catches a cold, I give him cephalosporin for more than 20 days at a time. Is it okay?

Professor Xiao Yonghong replied: Ten or twenty days is definitely not enough. As a baby, his cold is mostly virus infection, so he can't use antibiotics rashly. If the baby has a little cough or sore throat and a low fever, it is still symptomatic treatment. If the baby has symptoms of bacterial infection such as tonsil suppuration, use antibiotics. There are also many kinds of cephalosporins, and different drugs are selected according to different situations. Especially for babies, it doesn't take long. Ten days and twenty days is definitely unreasonable. Generally, about five days is more appropriate. It is not good for children to take drugs for too long.

Q: Many people think that the more expensive antibiotics are, the better. When you are sick, you must use them in one step. Is this correct?

Professor Xiao Yonghong replied: This is a completely wrong concept. In fact, it is correct for us to choose drugs according to the pathogens that cause disease infection. What do you mean, one step at a time? If someone has pneumonia, what medicine should he choose at this time? The pathogen that causes pneumonia is different in each population. This person may be sensitive to penicillin, which works best. So the more expensive, the better. Targeting pathogens, that is, infected bacteria, is the real step in place.

Q: What antibiotics can babies under one year old use?

Professor Xiao Yonghong replied: There are many drugs that infants under one year old can use, including penicillin, cephalosporin and erythromycin. But there are some drugs that need to be avoided, such as aminoglycosides and ofloxacin, tetracycline and chloramphenicol.

Q: Which antibiotics have the biggest side effects on the market at present?

Professor Xiao Yonghong replied: The part with the biggest side effect of antibiotics is not suitable for children. For example, aminoglycosides, including gentamicin, streptomycin, amikacin and tobramycin, and the second category also includes tetracyclines and quinolones, such as ciprofloxacin and ofloxacin, have strong side effects.

Excessive use of antibiotics in children can damage growth.

Source: China Daily Time: 2004-12/20.

Fearing that their children will become victims of bioterrorism, American parents have asked doctors to plant anthrax and smallpox vaccines for their children, while others have asked for some antibiotics. But doctors disapprove of this practice, because these drugs will have side effects and inhibit the normal growth of bones and other organs.

USA-Today quoted Steve Berman, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, as saying, "We can understand parents' concerns, but it is unnecessary. "

Like many colleagues, Dr. Berman spends a lot of time comforting anxious parents every day, but they don't prescribe antibiotics casually or provide vaccines.

Berman said that only life-threatening children need to take antibiotics to treat anthrax. Animal experiments show that these antibiotics can inhibit the growth of bones and other organs.

If there is no indication that children are exposed to anthrax, they should not be given antibiotics. Excessive use of antibiotics is a wrong preventive measure, which can only reduce children's resistance to germs or viruses and make them more susceptible to infection.

Roland Stern, a pediatrician in California, said: "Many parents become neurotic and they lose their judgment." She has to deal with many requests for antibiotics and vaccines every day. Typically, the email from the mother of three children mentioned, "Please give my three children a 60-day dose of antibiotics." You know, these drugs are worth 1800!

Another mother took her child to the hospital for smallpox vaccination. When the nurse told her there was no need to do this, she shouted, "Come on! You know this is necessary! "

A pediatrician at a hospital in Manhattan, new york, said that every time an anthrax case is confirmed, more parents will take their children to the hospital. But these parents get the same answer-no need for vaccination and no need for antibiotics. However, the doctor gave some advice to parents: be optimistic, relax, rent some comedy videos for children and let them live a happy life.