PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — We live in a society where we expect quick solutions to problems. In health care, this can often be measured in the use of prescription antibiotics.
A study in the journal Pediatrics is providing an interesting example. Looking at prescribing patterns during the pandemic, there was a 72.17% reduction in prescriptions given to children when compared to pre-pandemic levels.
One reason is that there was a reduction in non-COVID-19 respiratory infections in children due to isolation from others. However, even when those numbers were considered, the researchers recognized that in non-pandemic years, far too many antibiotics have been given for viral infections.
Antibiotics fight bacterial infections and are unnecessary to fight viruses.
KYW Newsradio’s Medical Reports are sponsored by Independence Blue Cross.
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