Antibiotics Use in Children
Antibiotic therapy can be a life-saving treatment especially for bacterial infections in children. However, it can also pose risks to children’s health due to its side effects, drug toxicity and impact on gut health and immunity.1 The American Kenvue Health Professionals of Pediatrics and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are advocating against antimicrobial resistance through administering antibiotic treatment to pediatric patients only when necessary.2,3
The table below is a summary of appropriate antibiotic use for some common bacterial illnesses in children.
CDC= Center for Disease Control and Prevention
1. Rogawski E, Platts-Mills J, et al. Use of antibiotics in children younger than two years in eight countries: a prospective cohort study. Bull World Health Organ. 2017 Jan 1; 95(1): 49–61.;2. Gerber J, Jackson M et al. Antibiotic Stewardship in Pediatrics. Pediatrics 2021;147 (1): e2020040295.; 3. Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Pediatric Outpatient Treatment Recommendations. https://www.cdc.gov/antibiotic-use/clinicians/pediatric-treatment-rec.html#:~:text=Suggested%20agents%20include%20TMP%2FSMX,in%20children%20is%20not%20recommended. Accessed 19 April 2022.