Comment by jacobolus
8 hours ago
Yes, it's "number of prescriptions" (but not "number of people prescribed" or "number of doses"). One person could be prescribed an antibiotic (or multiple) several times a year.
I'm amazed that there are 1216 antibiotic prescriptions per 1000 people per year in West Virginia though (2.5x the rate of California or Colorado, which itself frankly seems pretty high). Are large parts of the South just awash with bacterial infections, are people being prescribed antibiotics for viral illnesses, or are they just taking antibiotics prophylactically?
> antibiotics prophylactically
Ticks are pretty bad nearby in WPA, I've taken antibiotics prophylactically for them.
What about ivermectin? I've taken ivermectin prophylactically when traveling because I'm afraid of bed bugs. Pretty sure you can do the same with ticks. Just stop by your local farm supply store and pick up some of that nasty apple flavored horse paste. Just make sure you dose it right. Easy to do. Absolutely disgusting.
Depends on where you are- in most of the US, tick concerns are primarily Lyme's disease or Rocky mountain fever, which are a virus and bacterium. Ivermectin works by interfering with nerve and tissues of invertebrate parasites, and generally isn't useful for bacteria or viruses.
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