It's bad! Why doesn't the pediatrician prescribe antibiotics? 2026

From time to time there is news in the press about the abuse of medications, especially antibiotics: if they are used too much they lose effect; that if resistance is created and each time we have to look for new, more powerful products; An international day for the misuse of antibiotics has even been created. It is true that there are days for everything, but perhaps all of this indicates that they are somewhat right.

The most embarrassing thing about this matter is the small print. Antibiotics are abused, but at what age are they most overused? It just can't be! Well yes, in the pediatric age and especially in the first age: up to 70% of children under 5 years of age have suffered improper antibiotic treatment. This worries me and it should worry us all.

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Why are they prescribed with such joy?

It is not unusual to see in consultation that the mother, overwhelmed because her son has had a fever of 39º for two days, comes asking to be given an antibiotic and, what is worse, it is not unusual to see urgently crowded consultations with the pediatrician indicating the desired medication out of ignorance, tradition, not to argue or out of fear, lest...

You know that there are two types of germs that attack the population: viruses and bacteria. Bacteria are effectively treated with antibiotics, but viruses, oh, viruses! These have no treatment. Most of them go away on their own in a few days, after leaving you crushed, like the flu; or with a significant amount of Kleenex, such as those with a cold; or weak after having spent almost three days in the bathroom due to gastroenteritis without being able to leave the toilet.

Other viruses are more aggressive and can cause serious diseases that fortunately we can combat with vaccines, such as measles, rubella, hepatitis and many others. Others, like AIDS, are more complicated. The common denominator of all of them is that antibiotics scratch their bellies if they have one.

Babies and children are going to go through multiple situations, especially if they go to nursery school. Your immunity grows due to being sick – sometimes it seems continuously – but luckily, the symptoms caused by viruses are banal in most cases. Fever, runny nose, coughs and diarrhea and little else that seem like a world to us but that have no treatment, other than getting through it.

How can I sit idly by?

This is very strong, how can I stay still without giving him anything? the mother and the doctor think. Poor thing, so we stuff him with paracetamol, ibuprofen, mucolytics and useless expectorants, vitamins, something to eat and of course, antibiotics, even though we know he doesn't need them, but just in case.

Mucus does not become infected, rhinitis, pharyngitis, bronchitis, bronchiolitis and a large part of otitis are viral, gastroenteritis too and even a large part of pneumonia, here we are all more afraid and we send them away.

Father, mother: Do not ask your pediatrician to prescribe antibiotics for your child, let him decide with his good work; Do not take your child to the emergency room because you know that they will surely put it there; Don't change your pediatrician to see if he or she finally gives it to you; Don't try to put something on the first day of fever to see if it stops.

You should know that if a child has had a fever for three days, it is very likely that it will go away by the fourth day, it is not that the first dose of antibiotic has had an effect.

Pediatrician: Remember that we have the possibility of seeing the child again the next day or two days and then deciding if the antibiotic is needed or not. 80% of earaches go away on their own with painkillers in 24 or 48 hours, there is no reason to give an emergency antibiotic.

Let us not forget that fever is not synonymous with bacterial infection and treatment. In children under 3 years of age, 99% of fevers are synonymous with viruses and the need for care at home and pampering, but not medication.