Antibiotics Overused In Treatment Of Swine Flu
At least one big local health insurance company is reporting a troublesome trend related to the H1N1 swine flu outbreak: The overuse of antibiotics to treat the illness.
Not surprisingly, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts is seeing an increase in doctor visits by people with flu-like symptoms, but it’s also seeing a rise in prescriptions for antibiotics to treat those symptoms. That is surprising because antibiotics do little to nothing to fight the flu as flus are caused by viruses, and antibiotics fight infections caused by bacteria.
“That, perhaps, is a little concerning,” said Allen Maltz, chief financial officer at Blue Cross, “because the overuse of antibiotics in general is something that society ought to be concerned about.”
Taking antibiotics unnecessarily can raise your risk of getting an infection later that’s antibiotic-resistant. Most flus are treated simply with fever-reducing medicines, fluids and rest.
WBUR Topics
- Beacon Hill »
- Mayor Controversy Throws Lawrence Bailout Into Jeopardy
- DeLeo Bets On The Colts And Re-Election
- Casino Supporters, Opponents Make Their Case On Beacon Hill
- Commentary »
- Advocacy Is In The Eye Of The Beholder
- The Richest Girls Basketball Coach In The World
- McGwire’s Record Breaking Tarnished? Sounds Like A Broken Record
- Crime & Justice »
- Mass. Court: Sexual E-Messages To Minors Legal
- Shot Street Worker Gets His Day At City Hall
- Boston Archdiocese Releases More Information On Abusive Priests
- Energy »
- As Battle Nears End, Cape Wind Still Divides
- The Art Of Going Green In The Museum
- Salazar Meets With Mashpee Wampanoag Over Cape Wind Concerns
- Environment »
- As Battle Nears End, Cape Wind Still Divides
- Invasive Plants Spreading As Climate Warms, Study Says
- The Art Of Going Green In The Museum
- Ethics »
- Galluccio Resigns From Senate After Being Jailed
- After Sentencing, Fate Of Galluccio’s Senate Seat Remains Unknown
- DiMasi, Co-Defendants Plead Not Guilty To Corruption
- Religion »
- Brown, And His Church, Don’t Wear Religion On The Sleeve
- Boston Archdiocese Releases More Information On Abusive Priests
- Archdiocese: Abusive Priests With Ireland Ties Worked In Boston
- Sprint To The Senate »
- How He Did It: Behind The Scott Brown Win
- Scott Brown, The New Hero Of The GOP
- Tea Party Credited With Giving Brown A Winning Boost
- H1N1 Swine Flu »
- FAQ: Swine Flu Vaccine Availability
- Mass. Lifts Swine Flu Vaccine Restrictions
- Study: Swine Flu Is Relatively Mild Virus After All
Most Popular
- Tea Party Activists Unite In Nashville To Protest Obama Leadership
- Why Does Time Fly By As You Get Older?
- Cyclists Race Through A ‘Canyon Of Beer’
- Teen Suicide Sheds Light On New Era Of Bullying
- The ‘Car Talk’ Spin On Toyota Recalls
- Brown’s Staff Shapes Up As Coalition Of The Eager
- Teacher Suspended After Party Photos Posted Online
- We Know Better, But We Text While Driving Anyway
- 'How's That Hopey, Changey Stuff?' Palin Asks
- Brown, And His Church, Don’t Wear Religion On The Sleeve
- Cyclists Race Through A ‘Canyon Of Beer’
- Teen Suicide Sheds Light On New Era Of Bullying
- We Know Better, But We Text While Driving Anyway
- Mass. Requests Federal Credit To Cover Unemployment Benefits
- Why Does Time Fly By As You Get Older?
- The ‘Car Talk’ Spin On Toyota Recalls
- Math Professor Helps Uncover Art Fakes
- DeLeo Bets On The Colts And Re-Election
- Teacher Suspended After Party Photos Posted Online
- Where You Live, Not Just Lifestyle, May Contribute To Diabetes
- WBUR Changes Weekend Program Lineup (90)
- Share Your Voting Experiences Today (84)
- Edward Kennedy, The Senate's Last Lion, Is Dead At 77 (64)
- Dems Question Why Brown Is Gaining On Coakley (64)
- Seeking Your Ideas For WBUR iPhone App (46)
- Brown Hits Back After Negative Coakley Ad (46)
- Obama Accepts Nobel Peace Prize As 'Call To Action' (45)
- Hollywood East's Less-Than Red Carpet Arrival (45)
- 'Absolutely' Wrong To Call Coakley-Brown Race A Statistical Tie (43)
- Blogging The U.S. Senate Debate (39)
- Tea Party Activists Unite In Nashville To Protest Obama Leadership
- Why Does Time Fly By As You Get Older?
- 'How's That Hopey, Changey Stuff?' Palin Asks
- Brautigan's Surreal Story: 'Trout Fishing In America'
- As Battle Nears End, Cape Wind Still Divides
- Teen Suicide Sheds Light On New Era Of Bullying
- We Know Better, But We Text While Driving Anyway
- Haitian Orphans' Fate In Limbo Amid Post-Disaster Confusion
- Teacher Suspended After Party Photos Posted Online
- Cyclists Race Through A ‘Canyon Of Beer’
-
Learning from Performers presents: soprano RENÉE FLEMING
February 9, 2010
At John Knowles Paine Concert Hall -
February Evening Lecture-- Some Recent Shipwreck Investigations in Northern Massachusetts Bay
February 9, 2010
At Northeastern University's Marine Science Center -
Salem History Society: When the Tall Ships Sailed Away
February 9, 2010
At Cornerstone Books -
Boston University's Distinguished Creative Writing Faculty to Perform Annual Reading
February 9, 2010
At Boston University School of Management
I agree with Puah Rae above. When I go into his office with bronchitis–he says it might be viral and waits to treat with antibiotics. He says you must have certain signs, which makes sense, but for me it’s just a deep bronchial cough. As a result, I’m sicker than usual, and when the antibiotics kick in I’m much better, and that’s proof it’s a bacterial infection. I believe that doctors have been trained to be conservative when it comes to treating patients, causing the patient to suffer longer than necessary.
I am wondering if the cause of these antibiotic prescriptions has anything to do with the report that, of the healthy children who have died of flu, most if not all had a co-existing bacterial infection. Many of those children died quickly. This may be a “better safe than sorry” response to that report.