DHEC teaching that antibiotics aren’t always the answer

By Jamie Durant
Morning News Health/Environmental Reporter
Published: October 10, 2008

The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC)  has joined forces with the Florence County Library System to teach parents and children that sometimes no medicine can actually be the best medicine.

Jerry Gibson, director of DHEC’s bureau of disease control, said that’s the topic of the “Get Smart: Know When Antibiotics Work” campaign, which was unveiled last week at a Columbia library.

Here in Florence, the campaign is using the book “The Little Elephant with the Big Earache” to teach parents and children that antibiotics are not cure-alls.

Kulcey Cassidy, children’s librarian at the Drs. Bruce & Lee Foundation Library, said the book explains how antibiotics work on a level a child can comprehend.

“The story is that just because you have a hurt, antibiotics are not the answer to everything,” she said. “They are important, but be careful using them.”

Dr. Weave Whitehead, a Florence pediatrician with McLeod Pediatric Associates, said the message is one that many people are aware of, but don’t pay too much attention to.

“Thankfully, more people are informed about careful antibiotic use these days so they are not expecting or demanding antibiotics,” he said. “... When antibiotics are prescribed, you should take or give the complete course as directed by your doctor.”

Some doctors fear losing a patient if they do not meet the expectation of prescribing something for an illness, such as a cold, Whitehead said.

“In my practice, I have found that an explanation of what is going on and the expected course of the illness goes a long way,” he said. “The next time the child has the same symptoms, the parents are more willing to ‘wait it out’ and care for the child with simple, effective measures such as plenty of fluids, rest and humidity.”

Dr. Curt Charnes, family medicine practitioner with Pee Dee Family Physicians at Carolinas Hospital System, said he thinks confusion still exists in the public about when an antibiotic is needed.

“I think that the misconception in the public is that anytime someone gets a cough or congestion — and most of the time it’s a viral infection — they come to the doctor for an antibiotic,” Charnes said.

Viral illnesses, which don’t need antibiotics, can cause the same type of symptoms as bacterial infections, which do need them. Charnes said overuse of antibiotics is beginning to lead to antibiotic-resistant strains of some bacteria, such as MRSA.

“We’re seeing some of it now,” he said. “The bacteria that we’re treating are becoming more resistant to the antibiotics. The main one the people are familiar with is MRSA and it’s spreading. That’s all because of the overuse of antibiotics.”

Charnes said a key to keeping family members healthy without overusing antibiotics is to allow the doctors to determine the best course of treatment.

“There are investigations doctors can do to determine if it is viral or bacterial,” he said. “I think the public needs to understand that just because the doctor may not give you an antibiotic does not mean they are not treating you appropriately.”