Antibiotics are only effective against bacteria, which means they're useless against viral ailments like the flu and colds. Babies need antibiotics only if they are suffering from these common childhood ailments like High Fever, Lung Infection (pneumonia), Whopping Cough (Pertussis), Ear Infection, Urinary Tract infection.
Like all medications, antibiotics can cause side effects or other problems such as:
Diarrhea. About one in 10 children experience side effects from taking antibiotics. The most common are diarrhea, nausea, and stomach pain. "In addition to targeting bad bacteria, antibiotics kill off healthy bacteria in the gut. This can lead to stomach upset or diarrhea,".
Allergic reactions. Only about five out of 100 children are truly allergic to antibiotics. Most develop hives or red, swollen, itchy welts. "Compared with hives, a rash is much less severe and is more likely related to a viral infection, not a medication response,". Still, you should let your doctor know if your baby develops a rash while taking antibiotics. "Treating the rash with an allergy medication like Benadryl usually isn't necessary,"
Pneumonia.
Causes
Contagiousness
The viruses and bacteria that cause pneumonia are contagious. They're usually found in fluid from the mouth or nose of someone who's infected, so that person can spread the illness by coughing or sneezing. Sharing drinking glasses and eating utensils, and touching the used tissues or handkerchiefs of an infected person also can spread pneumonia.Symptoms
Possibly, since cough and fever are two of pneumonia's main symptoms. Other symptoms can include weakness, vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite, headache, muscle pain, and trouble breathing.
It's difficult to determine whether the cause of this lung infection is viral (perhaps due to an upper respiratory infection) or bacterial. Symptoms of pneumonia usually start with fever, coughing, shortness of breath, and/or vomiting. Because infants have a higher risk of complications from pneumonia, including death, pediatricians often prescribe antibiotics such as amoxicillin, ampicillin, and penicillin, even if they aren't positive that it's a bacterial infection.
Doctors group pneumonia into two categories: bacterial and viral.
Children with bacterial pneumonia usually have sudden symptoms – high fever, rapid breathing, and coughing. They don't want to eat and seem very ill.
They may have trouble breathing (look for flaring nostrils or chest sinking in as they breathe), a faster pulse, and bluish lips or nails. They may seem weak, vomit, or have diarrhea. Less common symptoms include abdominal pain and a stiff neck.
Viral pneumonia is usually less severe than bacterial and
can't progress into it.
How is pneumonia diagnosed?
During an
office exam, the doctor watches how the child breathes and listens to her lungs
with a stethoscope. He listens for diminished breathing sounds or other
abnormal noise. Because some of the air sacs in the lungs are filled with fluid
in a child with pneumonia, she'll be breathing rapidly to take in more oxygen.
If the
doctor thinks your child has pneumonia, he may order a chest X-ray, blood work,
or a test of the fluid from your child's nose. To make sure your child is
getting enough oxygen, he may use a pulse oximeter, a simple device that clips
on to a finger to measure oxygen saturation.
Treatment
What's the treatment?
For bacterial pneumonia, doctors prescribe antibiotics. Viral pneumonia doesn't respond to antibiotics, so treatment may be limited to rest and fluids. In fact, getting enough fluids is vital to fight the dehydration from rapid breathing and fever that's often a side effect of pneumonia.If your child has bacterial pneumonia, you may want to try running a cool mist humidifier. If she's feverish and uncomfortable, you may want to give her the proper dose of acetaminophen or (if she's 6 months or older) ibuprofen.
If your child needs to be treated for bacterial pneumonia in the hospital, she may be given fluids and antibiotics through an IV. The nurses may suction her nose regularly and keep an eye on her blood oxygen levels with an oximeter. She may also be fitted with a nasal oxygen tube or mask to make breathing easier.
Most uncomplicated pneumonia gets better within a week, although the cough can last for weeks.
(Aforesaid information has been compiled from Babycentre.com and parents.com)
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