(Science) – Prophylactic use of azithromycin saves vulnerable children’s lives, but could trigger antibiotic resistance

In some of the most remote and impoverished areas of the world, as many as one in 10 children die before their fifth birthday. The reasons are many, and hard to tackle: a lack of clean water, precarious nutrition, malaria, and limited access to medical care. But several studies have suggested a tantalizingly simple step can help: giving children a twice-yearly dose of the antibiotic azithromycin. By protecting them from multiple infections, the strategy seems to reduce deaths by about 15%, with mortality dropping most among babies less than 1 year old. It could potentially prevent tens of thousands of deaths each year.

The World Health Organization (WHO) cautiously embraced the strategy in 2020. But to reduce the risk that widespread adoption could lead to antibiotic resistance, it recommended only treating babies between 1 month and 11 months of age, and only in areas where child mortality is particularly high. However, a new trial has confirmed earlier hints that this babies-only tactic does not work. (Read More)