To help children recover quickly from illness, many parents, and even some doctors, immediately resort to strong antibiotics. This approach can be very harmful because the bacteria causing the illness may become resistant to strong antibiotics, rendering milder medications ineffective.
According to medical experts, the type of antibiotics prescribed to children should only match the severity of their illness. For example, if a child has community-acquired pneumonia caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae and is in a mild condition, they may only need to take amoxicillin combined with clavulanic acid. In more severe cases, they must be transferred to a hospital for benzylpenicillin injections.
However, out of impatience, some parents give their children extremely strong fluoroquinolone antibiotics (such as ciprofloxacin). Using these medications can lead to bacteria developing resistance to strong antibiotics. Later on, if the child contracts a strain of bacteria resistant to common antibiotics, it may be challenging to find a stronger antibiotic for treatment.
Additionally, when administering antibiotics to children, it is important to keep in mind:
Some antibiotics are banned for use in children of certain ages: tetracycline can damage tooth enamel, chloramphenicol can lead to bone marrow suppression resulting in anemia, and fluoroquinolone antibiotics can negatively affect the growth of cartilage (in young animals). Therefore, tetracycline should not be given to children under 12 years old, fluoroquinolone to those under 16 years, and chloramphenicol to infants under 6 months of age. Older children may use these antibiotics when absolutely necessary or when no alternative medications are available, but they must be closely monitored for hematological issues.
The balance of gut bacteria in children is very delicate. When broad-spectrum antibiotics (tetracycline, erythromycin, azithromycin, fluoroquinolone) are used, this balance can be disrupted, leading to digestive disorders. To mitigate this, it is advisable to prioritize antibiotics with high specificity and to use additional preparations containing beneficial bacteria (commonly referred to as probiotics) such as biolactyl and antibio.
It is crucial to administer the correct dosage for the appropriate duration. In practice, there are many cases of overdosing (self-increasing the dosage when the illness progresses slowly) or underdosing (when some medication is lost during administration). Typically, antibiotics should be taken for 5-7 days; however, sometimes parents prematurely stop the medication after just a few days when they notice improvements (such as reduced fever or cough). Overdosing can pose serious risks, while inadequate dosing can lead to bacterial resistance.
Dr. Ha Thuy Phuoc
