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Useless drugs before swine?
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Comments
Secondary infection
I'm not sure I understand their logic. A lot of people are getting secondary bacterial infections as a result of the upper respiratory congestion. Antibiotics are indicated in this case.
Another Theory
Swine Flu causes intestinal problems, and those may be mistaken for either a secondary illness or a primary bacterial problem.
H1N1 doesn't cause a lot of upper respiratory congestion compared to conventional flu ... it does, however, cause the sort of chest pain that is often a marker for pneumonia.
This is an ongoing problem.
This is an ongoing problem. People don't understand the difference between bacteria and viruses. They get sick, so they go to the doctor and demand antibiotics. The doctor is afraid that if they don't give the customer what she wants, she'll take her business somewhere else. As a result, antibiotics are overused, and resistance develops faster. And that's bad news for the rest of us.
This is a very real problem - it has nothing to do with secondary infections.
Furthermore...
Furthermore... I've encountered more than one employer who believes an employee isn't really 'that sick' if their doctor hasn't prescribed antibiotics for their virus. No matter how many times you try to explain to some people, they just don't believe that antibiotics do not treat viruses!
MD complicity
People can't just waltz into a drug store and get antibiotics without a prescription. And on that front, are you saying that the cause of all these problems are the MDs prescribing antibiotics when they're not indicated? If so, why doesn't public health officials get these MDs drummed out?
huh? Who mentioned anything
huh? Who mentioned anything about waltzing into a pharmacy without a prescription?? I assume you're not commenting on the 'Furthermore' comment that I left.
However, if you are, then my point was that employees who are sick with the flu are often, in my experience, penalized for staying home when sick with the flu virus because employers mistakenly think that the only people who are sick enough to stay home from work are those that have been prescribed antibiotics.
No where in my post did I say that I've ever had a doctor give me antibiotics for a virus... that would be idiotic and I would switch doctors. I suppose my point was to bitch about employers who think they understand medicine better than those with medical degrees.