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Getting you and your family immunized is an important way to prevent getting sick. But if you do get sick it is important to use antibiotics appropriately. Antibiotics are powerful drugs used to treat certain illnesses. But antibiotics do not cure everything, and unnecessary antibiotics can even be harmful. Viruses versus bacteria
Drug-resistant bacteria Each time you take an antibiotic unnecessarily or improperly, you increase your chance of developing drug-resistant bacteria. So it is really important to take antibiotics only when necessary. Because of these resistant bacteria, some diseases that used to be easy to treat are now becoming nearly impossible to treat. What do you need to know about antibiotics?
One final note is that taking antibiotics appropriately and getting immunized will help prevent having to take more dangerous and more costly medications. If we use antibiotics appropriately we can avoid developing drug resistance. We just need to take our medicine exactly as it is prescribed and not expect to take antibiotics every time we're sick.
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National Center for Infectious Diseases | Contact Us CDC Home | Search | Health Topics A-Z This page last reviewed April 5, 2000 Division
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