Illnesses like coughs, sore throats and earache are extremely common in young children, but did you know… our children’s ‘super bodies’ are designed to fight off many common illnesses, without the need for antibiotics?

These common ailments can be unpleasant for children and their caregivers, but are most often caused by viral infections and do not need to be treated with antibiotics.

Antibiotics rarely speed up recovery for these conditions and have no effect on viruses.

Instead, our children’s ‘super bodies’ get to work, and most children with a normal immune system and up-to-date immunisations will recover in the same amount of time with or without antibiotics.

Take a look at the usual recovery times for coughs, sore throats, and earaches:

You know your children best, so do seek medical help if you are concerned about their symptoms, or if their ‘super bodies’ need a bit more support because they are immunosuppressed or have other existing medical conditions.

Keeping antibiotics working for those in need

Common illnesses such as coughs, earache and sore throats don’t usually need treating with antibiotics, and your child will get better without taking unnecessary medication.

In fact, antibiotics are no longer routinely used to treat most infections, because:

• Many infections in children are caused by viruses, so antibiotics are not effective
• Antibiotics are often unlikely to speed up the healing process
• Antibiotics can cause unwanted side effects for your child, such as rash and diarrhoea
• The more often antibiotics are used to treat minor conditions, the more likely they are to become ineffective for treating more serious conditions

Antibiotic resistance

Overuse of antibiotics means they're becoming less effective against bacteria and this has led to the emergence of ‘super bugs’. These are strains of bacteria that have developed resistance to many different types of antibiotics.

They can be serious and challenging to treat, and are becoming an increasing cause of disability and death across the world.

Find out more about antibiotic resistance and 'super bugs' here.

Super bodies preventing super bugs

Our children’s ‘super bodies’ do amazing work against common illnesses like coughs, sore throats and ear ache.

By preparing ourselves with the information and knowledge to care for them at home, spot more serious symptoms, and know when and where to get help, we can support them to feel better sooner, and without unnecessary use of antibiotics.

Further information

Find more information and support for when your child is unwell:

• Visit the Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin Healthier Together website

To download the toolkit, including posters, social media graphics, and more, please click here.

With thanks to NHS Cheshire and Merseyside for creating the Super Bodies campaign and allowing us to share it with our patients.