Over 30 Percent of Antibiotics Prescribed in the US are Unnecessary, Study Finds

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According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 1 out of 3 antibiotics prescribed by doctors in the U.S. are unnecessary, The Washington Post reports.

“Antibiotics are lifesaving drugs, and if we continue down the road of inappropriate use we’ll lose the most powerful tool we have to fight life-threatening infections,” said CDC Director Tom Frieden. “Losing these antibiotics would undermine our ability to treat patients with deadly infections, cancer, provide organ transplants, and save victims of burns and trauma.”

According to the CDC, antibiotics are most commonly prescribed for illnesses such as common colds, bronchitis, sinus and ear infections.

The CDC’s national goal is to cut “unneeded prescriptions by at least half by 2020.”