ATLANTA — The number of antibiotic prescriptions sought for acute respiratory infections decreased by 24% between 1993 and 2008, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's latest "Morbidity and Mortality Weekly" report.
While this drop may be substantial, the CDC found that nearly 60% of antibiotic prescriptions for office visits among children ages 14 years and younger were for ARIs, most episodes of which do not require antibiotic therapy.
