Epidemiology of common respiratory infections in children and the impact of the pandemic

Following the COVID-19 outbreak, public awareness of infection prevention and control has heightened. 

The goal of a new study was to observe changes in childhood respiratory disease patterns before and during COVID-19. The researchers evaluated children with respiratory infectious diseases at Jinan Children's Hospital in China between 2016 and 2022. Data on pertussis, measles, scarlet fever, pulmonary tuberculosis, mumps, and influenza cases were compared with national data. 

Overall, 12,225 cases were analyzed. It was noted that during the COVID-19 pandemic, there were fewer pertussis, measles, scarlet fever, tuberculosis, mumps, and influenza cases compared to the pre-pandemic years, except for tuberculosis. While viral infections like measles, mumps, and influenza decreased during the pandemic but later rebounded. In addition, the incidence rate of bacterial infections like scarlet fever and pertussis fell during the pandemic and were also reinstated post-pandemic; however, tuberculosis occurrences remained relatively stable. 

The findings suggested that viral disease spread is more rampant in community and school settings, while tuberculosis may predominantly spread within households. The results showed that viral infections initially decreased during the pandemic and rebounded afterward, while bacterial infections and tuberculosis followed different patterns. The results demonstrate varying modes of respiratory disease transmission for these in different settings.

Source: Wang B, Gai X, Han Y, et al. Frontiers in Pediatrics.;11:1212658.