Acute respiratory infections (ARI) are still topical, holding the first place in the structure of infectious pediatric pathology. The most common causative agents of ARI are viruses. Currently, about 200 respiratory viruses are known, among which the most significant are influenza and parainfluenza viruses, rhinoviruses, respiratory syncytial virus, adenoviruses. Relatively recently, previously unknown serotypes of coronaviruses (SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, NL63 and HKU), bocaviruses and metapneumovirus were described, and at the end of 2019 a new coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 was discovered, which causes COVID-19 infection. Pneumotropic bacteria Strepto-coccus pneumoniae, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, etc. contributed to the incidence of respiratory infections. Pertussis remains a serious infection for young children, which in recent years, despite the typical clinical picture, presents certain difficulties for diagnosis. The ability of ARI to provoke the development of secondary bacterial complications (bronchitis, bronchiolitis and pneumonia) often dictates the unjustified prescription of antibiotic therapy, which has led in recent years to an increase in antibiotic resistance. Thus, the relevance of ARI at the present stage is not in doubt, and the above problems dictate the need for an individual approach to each patient.