W.Va. ranks 2nd in antibiotic prescriptions filled   CHARLESTON,
W.Va. (AP) — West Virginia ranks second among the states in
residents' use of antibiotics and had the smallest decrease
among the states over an 11-year span, according to a study
released Tuesday.  Figures compiled by the nonprofit Center for
Disease Dynamics, Economics and Policy show there were 1,178
prescriptions filled for every 1,000 West Virginia residents in
2010.  In 1999, West Virginia ranked fifth when the rate was
1,191 prescriptions.  The study found Kentucky led the nation
with 1,197 antibiotic prescriptions per 1,000 residents. Other
states with the highest antibiotic use were Tennessee,
Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama, while residents of Alaska
and Hawaii had rates that were less than half those states.
Nationally antibiotic prescriptions fell 17 percent between 1999
and 2010, when there were 801 prescriptions filled for every
1,000 residents.  Louisiana was the only state that saw an
increase in filled antibiotic prescriptio