Community-based antibiotic prescribing attributable to respiratory syncytial virus and other common respiratory viruses in young children: a population-based time series study of Scottish children

Inappropriate antibiotic prescribing, such as for viral illness, remains common in primary care. The objective of this study was to estimate the proportion of community-prescribed antibiotics to children aged less than five years attributable to common respiratory viruses.

Nearly 14% of antibiotics prescribed to children in this study were estimated to be attributable to common viruses for which antibiotics are not recommended. A future RSV vaccine could substantially reduce unnecessary antibiotic prescribing among children.