Worldwide, 20% mortality among children aged less than 5 years is attributed to respiratory tract infections. Upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) occurs commonly in both children and adults and it has increased economic burden on the society. The current article describes the national treatment guidelines for certain upper respiratory tract infections which require antibiotic therapy in the pediatric population.
Upper respiratory tract infections generally cause symptoms mainly in the nose and throat. URTIs are usually caused by several families of virus namely, rhinovirus, coronavirus, parainfluenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), adenovirus, human metapneumovirus, influenza, enterovirus and the recently discovered bocavirus. Antibiotics are not necessary to treat viral respiratory tract infections barring following conditions discussed below: Bacterial Pharyngotonsillitis…
