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Fluctuations in Pediatric Acute Otitis Media Burden During the First Two COVID-19 Years in Israel

Elchanan Zloczower1,2, Jacob Pitaro1,3, Itai Hazan4,5

  • 1Clalit Health Services, Tel Aviv, Israel.

The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal
|January 13, 2023
PubMed

Insights

Pediatric acute otitis media (AOM) burden significantly decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic due to airborne disease control measures. However, AOM rates nearly returned to pre-pandemic levels by the second year of the pandemic.

Area of Science:

  • Epidemiology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Public Health

Background:

  • The COVID-19 pandemic introduced measures to curb airborne disease transmission.
  • Understanding the impact of these measures on pediatric acute otitis media (AOM) burden is crucial.
  • Urinary tract infection (UTI) was used as a comparative infection to assess AOM fluctuations.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To analyze changes in pediatric acute otitis media (AOM) incidence.
  • To compare AOM burden fluctuations before and during the initial two years of the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • To evaluate the impact of public health interventions on AOM rates.

Main Methods:

  • A cross-sectional study design was employed, comparing three pre-COVID years with the first two COVID years (2017-2022).
  • Data were extracted from the Clalit Health Services database, covering children aged 0-15 years.
  • Incidence rate ratios (IRRs) were calculated to compare AOM and UTI episode rates between the pre-pandemic and pandemic periods.

Main Results:

  • A significant reduction in AOM episode rates (IRR 0.46) was observed during the COVID years, more than double the decrease seen in UTI rates (IRR 0.76).
  • The most substantial decrease in AOM occurred among children aged 1-4 years during the first COVID year.
  • Recent COVID-19 infection was strongly associated with lower AOM morbidity (IRR 0.05).

Conclusions:

  • The burden of pediatric acute otitis media (AOM) substantially decreased during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • AOM rates showed a partial recovery, nearing pre-pandemic levels by the second year of the pandemic.
  • Public health measures implemented during the pandemic significantly impacted pediatric AOM incidence.
Abstract

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