What does it mean when the GP says "your child has a virus" and why won't he give her antibiotics to make her better when she is so poorly?

As any parent will know, children are very prone to catching "bugs" various, be it in their noses, throats, ears, chests, eyes or guts. They tend to do this when they start nursery, when a sibling starts nursery or during the colder months of the year.

These "bugs", or germs, cause infections, some of which will be treated with antibiotics and some of which will not. The vast majority of childhood infections are viral and a few may be bacterial. Viruses and bacteria are two different kinds of germs, and in a nutshell viruses will not respond to antibiotics whilst bacteria will.

How can your tell the difference between the two, I hear you ask? Sometimes it is indeed very difficult, and the answer may not be immediately obvious. The knowledge and experience of the physician you are seeing will help him/her recognise a pattern of "bug behaviour" that will help him/her distinguish between the two.

Viral infections may make your child very poorly, but the infection is self-limiting and will usually resolve within 5 to 7 days as your child's immune system fights it off. You may also see all sorts of weird and wonderful blanching rashes that tend to appear when the fever goes away, and these will do your child no harm at all (remember to be aware of the danger signs when looking at a rash: if it does not go away [blanch] when you press on it then seek immediate medical attention). Of course you need to support your child during this period with Paracetamol, Nurofen and plenty of fluids.
Bacterial infections on the other hand are not self limiting and will not resolve spontaneously. If your doctor feels your child has a bacterial infection, or is more likely than not to have one, then he/she will prescribe the appropriate antibiotic.

It is tempting to think that giving antibiotics will not do any harm and may as well be prescribed - this would be a mistake and poor practice. The overuse of antibiotics is leading to bacterial resistance and the surge of super bugs - and we all know the significance of that!

Click here for more advice from Moya Dawson to make your child better...