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Safe Antibiotic Use: Consumer Information
Taking antibiotics when they're not necessary helps resistant bacteria to grow. Resistant bacteria are not killed by normal doses of antibiotics.
Resistant bacteria can stay in your body or spread to others in your family and community. They can cause severe illnesses that are difficult and expensive to treat.
Using antibiotics wisely will help slow the spread of resistant bacteria. Click the links below for more information on how you and your family can stay safe.
Information for Parents
Information for Adult Patients
Upper respiratory treatment guides
Internet Resources
Information for Parents
- Brochure: Antibiotics Are Not Always the Answer English version Spanish version (pdf, 49K)
Using antibiotics when they're not needed can harm your child. Find out how to protect your family from antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
- Questions and Answers: Ear infections English/Spanish (pdf, 25K)
Next to a cold, an ear infection is the most common childhood disease. The good news is that ear infections don't always need antibiotics.
- Questions and Answers: Runny noses English/Spanish (pdf, 22K)
A runny nose is a normal part of recovery from the common cold, and antibiotics won't usually help it clear up any faster.
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Resources for Adult Patients
- Brochure: Warning: Unnecessary Antibiotics Can Be Harmful (pdf, 66K)
If you have a viral illness like a cold or the flu, taking unnecessary antibiotics can increase your risk of developing an antibiotic-resistant infection.
- Questions and Answers: Colds English/Spanish (pdf, 24K)
Are antibiotics ever needed for a cold? You might be surprised at the answer.
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Internet Resources
This page was last updated on Septiembre 17, 2008.
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