How to Treat Infections: Antibiotics

 For most of human history we had very little ability to treat or prevent infectious diseases, which resulted in enormous loss of life and suffering.  Here are some statistics * What has led to this dramatic reversal of childhood mortality?  

Methods that prevent disease: 

• • • basic hygiene such as clean running water, sewage systems, hand washing dramatically prevent transmission of diseases.
    • knowledge of diseases and how they are spread - think of coughing into your elbow rather than your hand  and wearing masks.
    • vaccinations; induce an immune response without having to have the disease itself.

Methods that treat disease:

• • • antibiotics have been very successful, but antivirals are not as far along.
    • better access to medical care, hospitals, ventilators, etc. 

Antibiotics, Antivirals and Vaccines

What are the differences between these three different types of medicine? When watching these videos, keep in mind this question from the study guide:

1. When should you use an antibiotic vs. antiviral vs vaccine?  What are some of the bacterial targets of antibiotics? Why wouldn't that work on viruses? Why is it difficult to develop antivirals that kill the virus without damaging the host cell? Why don't antivirals damage the host cell? What is a vaccine? How does it activate our immune system? What is the role of memory cells in vaccination? 

Antibiotics are drugs that are used specifically against bacteria rather than any other type of pathogen. This short video does a nice job of explaining about antibiotics.