Many recent studies show that antibiotics are not effective in preventing complications but also cause unwanted effects such as allergies and diarrhea.

Associate Professor Nguyen Tien Dung, Head of the Pediatrics Department, Bach Mai Hospital (Hanoi), said that using antibiotics when not necessary also increases drug-resistant bacteria. When children get sick and need antibiotics, it will be very difficult to treat. At that time, more expensive antibiotics must be used, but there are still cases of failure.

This is an alarming situation. For example, S. pneumoniae can cause rhinopharyngitis, otitis media, and sinusitis in children. A recent study in Ba Vi district, Hanoi showed that up to 95% of the more than 400 strains of this bacteria were resistant to at least one antibiotic and only one strain was sensitive to all antibiotics. Among these were many common antibiotics such as tetracycline, ampicillin, cefotaxime, ciprofloxacin, etc.

Children often have coughs, fevers, runny noses, sore throats..., however antibiotics are not always effective. Photo: NP

Therefore, it is important to use antibiotics for the right group of diseases. Below are some tips from Associate Professor Dung on using antibiotics for children:

1. Acute rhinopharyngitis or upper respiratory tract infection of unspecified site

The main cause of the disease is a virus, antibiotics are completely ineffective. Therefore, parents should not give their children antibiotics in this case.

Treatment is mainly symptomatic treatment such as fever reducer, cough medicine, runny nose medicine... The disease usually goes away on its own after 3-7 days.

2. Acute pharyngitis and tonsillitis caused by streptococcus

To accurately diagnose streptococcal pharyngitis, a throat culture or rapid diagnostic test must be performed. However, in reality, not all children with pharyngitis can have their throat swabs tested for streptococcus. According to the World Health Organization, streptococcal pharyngitis should be considered in children when they have at least the following signs: red throat, swollen tonsils, white secretions, and swollen and painful neck lymph nodes.

There may also be other symptoms such as sore throat, fever, headache, small bleeding spots in the palate. If there is only a red throat, it is usually a viral sore throat.

Children with streptococcal pharyngitis need to be treated with the correct and adequate dose of antibiotics to prevent complications of acute rheumatic fever that can affect the heart, which is very difficult to treat later.

3. Acute otitis media

The cause of the disease can be bacteria and viruses - accounting for 40-75%. This is a common disease in children.

Antibiotics are indicated in the following cases:

- Children under 6 months old

- Children 6 months to 2 years old: Use antibiotics if the diagnosis is certain and if the diagnosis is uncertain but the disease is severe.

- Children over 2 years old: Use antibiotics if the diagnosis is certain and the disease is severe.

- Other cases: Treat symptoms and monitor after 2 days if the disease does not improve, then use antibiotics.

4. Acute bacterial sinusitis

Common symptoms of the disease are: runny nose, stuffy nose, daytime cough, often not improving after 10 days or the disease becomes more severe with symptoms such as: fever, purulent nasal discharge, pain in the sinus area on the face after 5-7 days.

Except for azithromycin, which can be used for 3-5 days, other antibiotics should be used for at least 10 days and up to 4 weeks. The duration of antibiotic use depends on the time it takes for symptoms to disappear plus 1 week after symptoms disappear.

According to VnExpress - NT