A new study has claimed 640,000 antibiotic prescriptions each year issued by GP practices in England are “attributable” to RSV even though they do not work on viruses.

Researchers from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), Imperial College London and Oxford Population Health looked at general practice records and laboratory-confirmed respiratory infections between 2015 and 2018 and found 2.1 per cent of antibiotic prescriptions in practices were “attributable to respiratory syncytial virus.”

The study also found adults aged over 75 accounted for the biggest number of antibiotic prescriptions with an annual average of 149,078. Infants aged six to 23 months produced the highest average annual rate at 6,580 prescriptions per 100,000 individuals.

Researchers said penicillins, macrolides or tetracyclines were the “most RSV-attributable antibiotic prescriptions” while patients over 65 “had a wider range of antibiotic classes associated with RSV compared to younger age groups.”

“Interventions to reduce the burden of RSV, particularly in older adults, could complement current strategies to reduce antibiotic use in England,” researchers concluded.

A national RSV vaccination programme started in England on September 1 and vaccinates pregnant women over 28 weeks to help protect their newborn babies, people over 75 and a one-off campaign for people aged 75 to 79.

Vaccination schemes have also launched in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The UKHSA said vaccinating populations would result in 70,000 fewer RSV illnesses in infants under 12 months and 60,000 fewer illnesses in eligible older adults.