Antibiotics



An antibiotic is a drug that is used to kill or prevent the growth of bacteria. They have no effect against viruses or fungal infections. Their effectiveness vary widely on various types of bacteria (some antibiotics are good only for certain types of bacteria, a "strong" one may not be effective in some infections). Possible side effects are varied, and range from fever and nausea to major allergic reactions, (one of the more common is diarrhea). Common forms of antibiotic misuse include failure to take the entire prescribed course of the antibiotic, or failure to rest, usually because the patient feels better, but before the infecting organism is completely eradicated. Another common mistake of this would be the use of antibacterials for viral infections such as the common cold. These practices can result in antibiotic resistance in which the bacteria survive the shortened treatment and the antibiotics no longer act on them (and we need to pay large amounts of money to look for new ones).

AIDS - less known facts.


AIDS is a collection of symptoms and infections caused by immune deficiency due to HIV virus infection. It can lead to death but does not have to! The treatment that medicine currently has in hand is very effective - lets patients live for many years and even reduces number of virus to the level it can not be detected. Unfortunatelly there are some serious side effects of the drugs, and some types of the virus are resistant to the treatment. Medication and following certain procedures during pregnancy and delivery can also greatly minimize risk of child getting infected. Even after accidental exposure to virus (e.g. dirty needle in a park, nurses) early after-contact treatment reduces to minimum the risk of infection. I'm affraid in the nearest future the scientists won't be able to produce vaccine that protects us against the infection, but there are works on vaccine that will help our immune system fight the virus once we're infected. Stay healthy!