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Impact of COVID-19 on antibiotic prescriptions for Brazilian children

Fernando de Sá Del Fiol1, Isaltino Pereira Andrade2

  • 1Doctoral Program in Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Sorocaba, Rod. Raposo Tavares, km 92,5, Sorocaba, SP, Brazil. Fernando.fiol@prof.uniso.br.

Scientific Reports
|December 30, 2022
PubMed

Insights

The COVID-19 pandemic led to a 54% decrease in antibiotic prescriptions for children in Brazil. New sanitary behaviors significantly reduced respiratory illness and antibiotic use, demonstrating a path to better children's respiratory health.

Area of Science:

  • Public Health
  • Epidemiology
  • Pediatrics

Background:

  • The COVID-19 pandemic introduced new public health measures like social distancing.
  • These measures potentially impacted the transmission rates of respiratory infections.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the trends in antibiotic prescriptions for children aged 1-12 years in Brazil from 2014 to 2021.
  • To assess the impact of pandemic-related sanitary behaviors on antibiotic consumption.

Main Methods:

  • An interrupted time series analysis was employed.
  • Joinpoint regression was utilized to analyze monthly prescription variations.
  • Data from 86 million antibiotic prescriptions were examined.

Main Results:

  • A significant average reduction of 54% in antibiotic prescriptions was observed during the pandemic.
  • Amoxicillin prescriptions decreased by 65%.
  • Joinpoint regression indicated a shift in the prescription trend, showing a monthly decline of 22%.

Conclusions:

  • The adoption of enhanced sanitary behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic effectively reduced antibiotic prescriptions among children.
  • This highlights the potential for non-pharmaceutical interventions to control respiratory diseases and optimize antibiotic stewardship in pediatric populations.

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