While results showed overall lower antibiotic use in 2009-2010 compared with 2000-2001, the rate of decline slowed down, and in some cases reversed during the 10-year study period. The biggest decreases tended to occur in the early years of the study period, with the rate of decline waning in the latter years.
Children between the ages of 3 and 24 months experienced the greatest overall decline of any age group with a rate as high as 9% for children in the Mountain West. But after 2004-2005, the rate declines to under 3% for children under the New England and Mountain West health plans, and near zero for those covered by the Midwest plan. Otitis media, more commonly known as a middle ear infection, was the most common diagnosis where antibiotics were prescribed in children under 6 years old, according to the study.
Researchers suggested looking at changes in the way the infection is diagnosed and managed in order to further drive down rates of antibiotic use. Respiratory tract infections were found to account for more than 75% of all antibiotics prescribed for children under the age of 12.
The findings suggest declines in antibiotic use in children have begun to reverse, a trend that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has cited as the reason behind a growth in anti-microbial resistant infections in recent years. The trend has spurred recent effort on behalf of the agency to curb antibotics use among healthcare providers.
Last September, the CDC launched an initiative designed to categorize drug-resistant infections by threat level, estimating that more than 2 million people a year were infected with these types of “superbugs,” resulting in 23,000 deaths.
In December, the Food and Drug Administration issued a call to makers of anti-bacterial soaps and body washes to prove they were safe and more effective than regular soaps.
Follow Steven Ross Johnson on Twitter: @MHSjohnson
