Background
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) emergency accounted for a profound disruption in the infectious diseases’ transmission dynamics worldwide. This phenomenon was at least in part driven by the introduction of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs), implemented to tackle viral transmission. Our study aimed to assess the magnitude and the features of the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the incidence of notifiable infectious diseases (NIDs) in Lazio region, Italy.
Methods
Lazio region NIDs data with date of symptoms onset falling in the time interval from January 1st, 2017 to December 31st, 2023 were collected from different surveillance system databases available at SERESMI/Lazio Region Unit and classified in five categories based on the main route of transmission of the disease. Descriptive statistics were performed and interrupted time series (ITS) analysis was used to assess the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent recovery period on NIDs monthly cases.
Results
Just after the onset of COVID-19 pandemic a significant, sharp and immediate reduction in the monthly cases of all NIDs was registered (-86.73%), regardless the route of transmission. The decrease was particularly significant for vector-borne, food-borne and respiratory transmitted diseases (RDs), and overall in female sex.
During the COVID-19 recovery phase the all-NIDs monthly cases shown a relevant positive level change which was particularly significant for sexually transmitted/blood-borne diseases, contact and RDs.
Discussion
The COVID-19 pandemic was responsible for the disruption of all NIDs transmission patterns, whereas the magnitude and the dynamics of its effects varied in relation of transmission route; also, the impact of the pandemic wave was still perceivable during the post-COVID-19 era and NIDs incidence trajectories in this phase were peculiar for each disease category.
