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Antibiotics Fight Bacterial Germs!
"F.Y.I. For your information", AARP Health Care Options
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Did You Know?
You Can Get Pneumonia!
Pneumonia is a lung infection. It is very serious and can get worse if not treated early. When your body is weakened by age or illness (such as flu, diabetes or heart diseases), you are at increased risk of getting pneumonia.
PROTECT YOURSELF!
The pneumonia vaccine (shot) can help protect you from getting pneumonia.
If you have diabetes, heart disease, lung disease or other chronic illness, ask your doctor if a pneumonia shot is right for you.
Experts now say that everyone 65 or older should have a pneumonia shot.
Mary's Story
Mary is a 65 year old woman who has diabetes. She went to her doctor for a check-up last October. The doctor forgot to ask her if she wanted to get her flu shot. or a pneumonia shot and Mary forgot to ask about them.
Two months later, Mary got the flu. She ended up with pneumonia, a common complication of the flu. As a result, Mary missed her daughter's wedding.
Mary missed an opportunity to protect herself against flu and pneumonia. Don't let this happen to you! Help yourself by reminding your doctor! Usually, you can get both shots at the same time in your doctor's office.
(Northeast Health Care Quality Foundation, 15 Old Rollinsford Rd, Ste 302, Dover, NH 03820)
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When bacteria make us sick, we sometimes need antibiotics to help us get better.
Bacteria are tiny organisms not visible to the human eye. Billions of bacteria live in and on people, animals and plants at all times. Most bacteria are helpful to us; some are harmful and cause infections.
Antibiotics are prescription drugs that attack bacterial germs. They are powerful substances which can kill or disable disease-causing bacteria. Your doctor gives you a prescription for antibiotics when your illness is caused by bacteria, not by viruses.
Antibiotics are generally safe and should always be taken as prescribed. As with any medication, antibiotics may have side effects. Be sure to ask your doctor about potential side effects and how to manage them.
Do not save leftover antibiotics for the next time you are ill because they would not be a complete dose and because your symptoms may not be caused by bacteria. If you do have another bacterial infection, a complete dose is needed to kill all the harmful bacteria.
Do not take antibiotics to fight colds or the flu. They are caused by viruses, not by bacteria. Antibiotics don't work against viruses.
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Do not stop taking a prescribed antibiotic just because you start to feel better. Your prescription is written to cover the time needed to help your body fight all the harmful bacteria. If you stop taking the antibiotic early, the bacteria that have not yet been killed can restart an infection.
Sometimes bacteria find a way to fight the antibiotic you are taking and your infection won't go away. Doctors call this "antibiotic resistance". This is of concern because if your prescription does not work against a bacterial germ, your illness lasts longer, and you may have to make return office and pharmacy visits to find the right drug to kill the germ. When resistance develops, your doctor will need to prescribe a different antibiotic to fight your infection.
For more serious infections, it is possible that you would need to be hospitalized or could even die if the infection could not be stopped. Also, while the resistant bacteria are still alive, you act as a carrier of these germs, and you could pass them to friends or family members.
A new class of antibiotic drugs is not expected to appear in the immediate future. If bacteria become resistant to all our current antibiotics, we won't have any other alternatives. Using antibiotics wisely will help preserve the effectiveness of the current antibiotics in the years ahead.
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