CDC Study Says Nearly One-Third Of Prescriptions For Antibiotics Are Unnecessary.

reported that a study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed that “one-third of antibiotics are not needed,” which amounts to nearly “47 million unnecessary prescriptions every year for children and adults.” NBC Nightly News (5/3, story 7, 2:15, Holt) correspondent Tom Costello reported that according to researchers “healthy adults can often fight off bacteria infections on their own.” He added that the CDC’s goal is to “cut unnecessary antibiotic use by 50 percent within four years.” reports on its website that the investigators “took a deep dive into data on antibiotic prescriptions written in 2010 and 2011-- the most recent data they could work with.” The researchers found that approximatley “13 percent of all outpatient doctor visits – that would add up to 154 million visits a year – result in an antibiotic prescription.” Close to “30 percent of these prescriptions, or 47 million of them, are unnecessary, they calculated.” http://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/third-antibiotic-prescriptions-are-just-wrong-n567026