RSV, Influenza Associated With Low But Meaningful Rates Of Pediatric Antibiotic Prescriptions, Study Indicates

Infectious Disease Advisor (7/30, Basilio) reports a study found that “rates of pediatric antibiotic use associated with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and influenza are low but meaningful, underscoring the need for improved infection prevention strategies to reduce risk for antibiotic resistance.” For the study, “researchers retrospectively analyzed an open cohort of pediatric patients younger than 17 to estimate the incidence and attributable fractions of antibiotic prescriptions associated with RSV and influenza between 2008 and 2018.” They observed that the majority (66.8%) of antibiotic prescriptions were linked to an acute respiratory infections (ARI) “diagnosis. An estimated 6.3% of prescriptions were associated with RSV, with the highest proportions among children aged 0 to 2 years and 3 to 5 years.” They noted that influenza “also contributed meaningfully to pediatric antibiotic use, accounting for 3.4% of all antibiotic prescriptions and 4.7% of ARI-associated prescriptions.” The study was published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases.