Antibiotics

• Explain what antibiotics are and why we would use them.

• Explain ​what antibiotic resistance is and what causes it

• ​Describe some side effects of antibiotics

What do you need to know by the end of the lesson:

• Looking at Antibiotics

• ​Looking at antibiotic resistance

• Possible side effects of antibiotics ​

What are we doing today?

• When ​the body’s immune system cannot fight all the bacterial cells by itself. This is when antibiotics are used.

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• Antibiotics are medicines that destroy or slow the growth of bacteria

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• People usually take antibiotics orally.

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• Most antibiotics begin fighting bacteria within a few hours.​

ANTIBIOTICS

ANTIBIOTIC WARNING

• ​It is important to complete the "whole course" of medication even after symptoms of the infection have improved.

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• You should take all of the tablets that you have been prescribed by the doctor even if you feel well.

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• By doing this, it reduces the risk that bacteria will become resistant to the antibiotics.

ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE

• ​Antibiotic becomes useless against the bacteria because the bacteria have improved their defences

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• ​Some medical professionals believe this has happened as people are overusing antibiotics.

• By doing this, it reduces the risk that bacteria will become resistant to the antibiotics.

ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE

Antibiotics should only be prescribed to treat conditions:

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• that are not very serious but are unlikely to clear up without the use of antibiotics.

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• that are not very serious but could spread if not treated.

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• where antibiotics can significantly speed up recovery time

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• where the risk of not prescribing antibiotics can lead to more dangerous complications.

Mahra has a virus which has given her a chest infection​

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Does she need antibiotics?

Mahra

​Sultan has a bacterial infection in his eye that spreads easily from person to person.

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Does he need antibiotics?

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​​Sultan

Side effects:

Research common side effects that you may feel after taking antibiotics

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3 mins​

• Side effects don’t always happen, the risk of feeling side effects are different from person to another.

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Antibiotics can cause the following common side effects:

• diarrhoea

• nausea

• vomiting

• rash

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Less common side effects:

• kidney stones

• blood clotting

• blood disorders

Side effects