Dawn of the Diff

Sore throat?
ZDoggMD reminds us why abuse of antibiotics can be bad for your health. It’s true that many Upper respiratory tract infections are viral and that antibiotics are not needed in the majority of cases.
C. Difficle is known to cause antibiotic-associated diarrhea and a severe manifestation is Pseudomembraneous colitis

I think many Malaysians are confused about the term virus and some don’t even seem to know the difference between the the different types of organisms which can cause infectious diseases : viruses, bacteria, protozoa, fungi etc. It’s typical to refer to all as “viruses” when they are not!

Here are some basic informative links:

Mayoclinic: What’s the difference between a bacterial infection and a viral infection?
Dukehealth: Bacterial Infection or Virus?

I am also reminded of a web app which can help one determine the likelihood that a sore throat is due to a bacterial strep infection:
Centor score