Italy's RSV vaccine could cut unnecessary antibiotics, says expert Marco Falcone

Marco Falcone, national secretary of the Italian Society of Infectious and Tropical Diseases and professor at the University of Pisa, warned that 50 % of community patients and up to 75 % of hospitalized patients diagnosed with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in Italy receive antibiotics despite the infection being viral. Italy records about 29,000 RSV cases and more than 26,000 hospital admissions each year, many among elderly patients with cardiovascular, respiratory or oncologic conditions, leading to exacerbations, pneumonia and sometimes death.

Falcone emphasised that unnecessary antibiotic use fuels antimicrobial resistance, noting that Italy has the highest rate of antibiotic resistance in Europe and the most deaths from resistant bacterial infections. He advocated broader vaccination against influenza, RSV and pneumococcus as a key strategy to prevent viral infections and thus reduce inappropriate antibiotic prescriptions. The Simit‑run "Resistimit" project, underway for over a year, is studying the clinical impact of resistant infections, showing mortality rates of 10‑15 % for some bacteria and up to 40‑50 % for others. Improving diagnostic testing and public‑health communication were also highlighted as essential steps to curb the overuse of first‑line antibiotics such as amoxicillin, macrolides and fluoroquinolones.