Snort. Sniffle. Sneeze. No Antibiotics Please!

Are you aware that colds, flu, most sore throats, and bronchitis are caused by viruses? Did you know that antibiotics do not help fight viruses? It's true. Plus, taking antibiotics when you have a virus may do more harm than good. Taking antibiotics when they are not needed increases your risk of getting an infection later that resists antibiotic treatment.
Antibiotics kill bacteria, not viruses such as:

• Colds or flu;
• Most coughs and bronchitis;
• Sore throats not caused by strep; or
• Runny noses.

Golden Valley Memorial Healthcare would like to remind you that taking antibiotics for viral infections, such as a cold, cough, the flu, or most bronchitis, will not:

• Cure the infections;
• Keep other individuals from catching the illness; or
• Help you feel better.

When you use antibiotics appropriately, you do the best for your health, your family's health, and the health of those around you. "We want Americans to keep their families and communities healthy by getting smart about the proper use of antibiotics," said Lauri Hicks, D.O., medical director of CDC's Get Smart campaign.

Antibiotic resistance has been called one of the world's most pressing public health problems. It can cause significant danger and suffering for people who have common infections that once were easily treatable with antibiotics. When antibiotics fail to work, the consequences are longer-lasting illnesses; more doctor visits or extended hospital stays; and the need for more expensive and toxic medications. Some resistant infections can cause death.

Sick individuals aren't the only people who can suffer the consequences. Families and entire communities feel the impact when disease-causing germs become resistant to antibiotics. These antibiotic-resistant bacteria can quickly spread to family members, schoolmates and co-workers - threatening the community with a new strain of infectious disease that is more difficult to cure and more expensive to treat.