Between 2010 and 2016, antibiotic prescriptions per person have
declined 8% in CT, according to a report
by the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. The rate declined even faster (15%)
for children. Unfortunately, CT’s rate is still higher than all but 16 other
states. Overuse of antibiotics is blamed for contributing to the rise of
antibiotic-resistant bacteria or “superbugs”. Every year 2 million
Americans become infected with bacteria that do not respond to antibiotics
and 23,000 die of that illness. Public health officials have been working to
bring down the rate of antibiotic prescribing, especially for conditions that
do not respond to antibiotics, e.g. most colds which are caused by viruses.
In more good news, the biggest drop in prescribing was for
broad spectrum antibiotics, the most likely to trigger antibiotic resistance,
which declined 18% in CT from 2010 to 2016 compared to 13% nationally.
Unfortunately, a great deal of work remains. The study found that last year 63%
of antibiotics were prescribed for conditions which might be appropriate and
another 21% for conditions which were not indicated.
