Kentucky Top State for Antibiotic Overuse

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Credit www.nlm.nih.gov

Kentucky is the top state in the country for antibiotic over-use according to a new study from the Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics and Policy. Antibiotic over-use can cause some infections to become resistant to treatment. Dr. Ramanan Laxminaryan is director of the CDDEP’s Extending the Cure project. 

He says, “There’s a huge cultural difference between the ways antibiotics are used and prescribed and demanded by patients in Kentucky compared to many of the states in the country which do a far better job in controlling antibiotic use.”

Laxminaryan says patients demands are key to the issue. He says patients should let their doctors prescribe antibiotics only when they are necessary instead of asking for them. Laxminaryan says to prevent resistance patients should know antibiotics treat many kinds of bacterial infections, but not common viruses like certain ear and upper respiratory infections. More information about Extending the Cure can be found here.