Study finds Kentuckians use most antibiotics

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT/AP)- A study shows Kentucky residents have the highest use of antibiotics in the country.

Figures released by the nonprofit Robert Wood Johnson Foundation on Tuesday show there were 1,196 prescriptions filled for every 1,000 Kentucky residents in 2010.

The five states with the highest rates of antibiotic use in the nation were Kentucky, West Virginia, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Louisiana. The five states with the lowest antibiotic use in the nation were Alaska, Hawaii, California, Oregon, Washington and Colorado.

Antibiotic prescriptions nationally fell 17 percent between 1999 and 2010, when there were 801 prescriptions filled for every 1,000 residents.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's has declared this week as "Get Smart About Antibiotics Week."

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