Antibiotic prescribing attributable to paediatric respiratory viruses: a population-based study of Scottish children

Antibiotic resistance is a major public health issue and antibiotic prescribing patterns are increasingly being recognized as the main cause of resistance. Antibiotic stewardship activities have highlighted the role of over- and inappropriate use of antibiotics in driving antibiotic resistance. Prior research has shown consistent temporal patterns in antibiotic prescribing, such that prescribing rates tend to be highest during influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) seasons; i.e., aligning with the winter months in the Northern hemisphere. Influenza and RSV are the most common causes of lower respiratory illness in children in the UK and globally. Most respiratory pathogens, including influenza and RSV, are viral in origin and cause self-limited illness in most children; thus, antibiotics are not recommended for use in these patients. While secondary bacterial infections, such as pneumonia, are a common complication of respiratory viral infections, prior studies have shown that antibiotics do not improve outcomes for these patients. In order to prevent the over- and inappropriate use of antibiotics, it is critical to understand antibiotic patterns and, particularly, how these patterns may relate to the activity of common childhood viral infections.TBC

Faculty Supervisor:

Astrid Guttmann

Student:

Partner:

University College London

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Education

University:

University of Toronto

Program: