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Changes in the Epidemiology of Respiratory Pathogens in Children during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Asmae Lamrani Hanchi1, Morad Guennouni2, Toufik Ben Houmich1

  • 1Laboratory of Microbiology, University Hospital Mohamed VI, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cadi Ayyad University, Marrakech 40030, Morocco.

Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland)
|December 23, 2022
PubMed

Insights

COVID-19 pandemic measures significantly reduced non-COVID-19 respiratory illnesses in children. Respiratory Syncytial Virus and Influenza A detections notably decreased, while Human Rhinovirus remained prevalent.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Epidemiology

Background:

  • The COVID-19 pandemic prompted public health interventions impacting respiratory pathogen transmission.
  • Observed decreases in non-COVID-19 respiratory illnesses suggest broader epidemiological effects.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate changes in the epidemiology of pediatric respiratory pathogens during the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • To analyze the impact of COVID-19 preventive measures on the circulation of common respiratory viruses in children.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective analysis of 902 pediatric severe acute respiratory illness cases (January 2018-December 2021).
  • Respiratory pathogen detection using the Film Array Respiratory Panel for patients with negative COVID-19 PCR tests.
  • Statistical analysis to compare pathogen prevalence between pre-pandemic and pandemic periods.

Main Results:

  • Overall lower respiratory pathogen positivity rates observed during the COVID-19 pandemic (p = 0.006), particularly in infants under 6 months (p = 0.008).
  • Significant reduction in Respiratory Syncytial Virus and Influenza A detection during the first winter post-pandemic outbreak (p < 0.05; p = 0.002).
  • Human Rhinovirus showed year-round prevalence, with increased winter detection during the pandemic (p = 0.0002).

Conclusions:

  • COVID-19 preventive measures substantially altered pediatric respiratory pathogen epidemiology.
  • The study highlights the significant impact of non-pharmaceutical interventions on the transmission dynamics of various respiratory viruses in children.

Keywords:
COVID-19SARIchildrenfilm array® respiratory panelmPCRrespiratory pathogens

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