FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Oct. 5, 2009
’Get Smart about Antibiotics Week’ observed
COLUMBIA, S.C. - Knowing when to use antibiotics is the focus of the ‘Get Smart about Antibiotics Week’ beginning Oct. 5, the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control reported today.
"Sometimes the best medicine is no medicine," said Jerry Gibson, M.D., director of DHEC's Bureau of Disease Control. "If you have a cold or the flu, antibiotics won't work. We encourage parents to not insist on getting antibiotics when a health care provider says they are not needed. That makes bacterial infections harder to treat and sometimes results in what we call ‘superbugs,’ or bacteria that do not respond to any treatment."
Dr. Gibson said DHEC continues to work with the state library system and county libraries to assure that all branches have copies of the Get Smart about Antibiotics posters and copies of The Little Elephant with the Big Earache children’s book. The books were funded by a grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Get Smart about Antibiotics in the Community program. Five children’s museums in the state will display the posters and have special Get Smart about Antibiotics Week events.
"There are plenty of copies available so that every branch of the public library system in South Carolina has a copy for parents and children to check out and read." Dr. Gibson said. "There is a parent guide that accompanies each of the books to educate parents about careful antibiotic use.
"Antibiotic resistance has become a pressing public health issue," Dr. Gibson said. "It is important to practice the safe use of antibiotics and to understand when they are not appropriate. Everyone, especially parents of young children, need to know that antibiotics kill bacteria. Antibiotics do not kill viruses such as colds or flu, most coughs and bronchitis, runny noses and sore throats that are not caused by strep. Parents often insist that healthcare providers prescribe antibiotics for viral infections, however treating a viral infection with an antibiotic does not work and it may actually be harmful by placing the child at risk for dangerous side effects. Talk to your healthcare provider about careful antibiotic use."
Dr. Gibson said events will be held around the state to raise awareness of those dangers and to teach parents and children how best to use antibiotics. The S. C. Careful Antibiotic Use (SCCAUSE) campaign is part of the CDC’s Get Smart campaign. For more information, go to DHEC’s Web site at: http://www.scdhec.gov/sccause.
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For more information:
Dixie Roberts - (803) 898-0861
E-mail - robertdf@dhec.sc.gov
or
Thom Berry - (803) 898-3885
E-mail - berrytw@dhec.sc.gov
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