Frequency of Respiratory Virus-Associated infection among Children and Adolescents from a Tertiary-Care Hospital in Mexico City

Abstract

Acute respiratory infections (ARIs) are a major cause of morbidity and mortality among children. The causative pathogens show geographic and seasonal variations. We retrospectively evaluated the frequency and seasonality of respiratory pathogens in children and adolescents (age: 0–19 years) with ARIs treated between January 1, 2021, and March 31, 2022, at a single center in Mexico. Out of 2,400 patients, 1,603 were diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 infection and 797 were diagnosed with other common respiratory pathogens (CRPs). Of the 797, 632 patients were infected with one CRP and 165 with >2 CRPs. Deaths occurred only in SARS-CoV-2-infected patients. Rhinovirus/Enterovirus, respiratory syncytial virus B, and parainfluenza virus 3 were the most prevalent in cases with single and multiple infections. The respiratory pathogens showed a high frequency between autumn and winter of 2021, generating the highest incidence of hospitalization compared to COVID-19. The main comorbidities were immunosuppression, cardiovascular disease (CD), and asthma. The frequency of CRPs showed a downward trend throughout the first half of 2021. CRPs increased in single- and co-infection cases between the fourth and fifth waves of COVID-19, probably due to decreased nonpharmaceutical interventions. Age, cyanosis (symptom), and immunosuppression (comorbidity) were found to differentiate between SARS-CoV-2 infection and CRP infection.

Etiological analysis of acute respiratory infections in hospitalized children after the relaxation of COVID-19 non-pharmacological interventions in Quzhou, China

“…In September and October 2023, Quzhou, located in the western Zhejiang Province, China, experienced a surge in hospital reported cases of childhood pneumonia. After the relaxation of the NPIs during the COVID-19 pandemic, the pattern of respiratory infections showed changes in pathogen species, temporality, and frequency [15]. At present, the changes of ARIs pathogens in hospitalized children after the relaxation of COVID-19 NPIs in Quzhou is still unclear.…”