The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic Lockdown on Pediatric Infections—A Single-Center Retrospective Study

Abstract

Since the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak, many countries have introduced measures to limit the transmission. The data based on ICD-10 codes of lower respiratory tract infections and microbiological analysis of respiratory and gastrointestinal infections were collected. The retrospective five-year analysis of the medical records revealed a substantial decrease in respiratory tract infections during the pandemic year (from April 2020 to March 2021). We noted an 81% decline in the LRTI-associated hospital admissions based on the ICD-10 analysis (from a mean of 1170 admissions per year in the previous four years to 225 admissions between April 2020 through March 2021). According to microbiological analysis, there were 100%, 99%, 87%, and 47% drops in influenza virus, respiratory syncytial virus, rotavirus, and norovirus cases reported respectively during the pandemic season until April 2021 in comparison to pre-pandemic years. However, the prevalence of gastrointestinal bacterial infections was stable. Moreover, in August 2021, an unexpected rise in RSV-positive cases was observed. The measures applied during the COVID-19 pandemic turned out to be effective but also had a substantial contribution to the so-far stable epidemiological situation of seasonal infections.

Influence of public health and infection control interventions during the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 pandemic on the in-hospital epidemiology of pathogens: In hospital versus community circulating pathogens

“…Similar data were reported by Grochowska et al, who focused on changes in the occurrence of transmissible viral infections in children [10]. Their microbiological analysis (until April 2021) documented 87% fewer rotavirus infections and 47% norovirus infections during the pandemic.…”

Human enteric adenovirus F40/41 as a major cause of acute gastroenteritis in children in Brazil, 2018 to 2020

“…A multicenter surveillance study conducted with hospitalized pediatric patients in Japan observed a markedly reduction in enteric viruses detection, with a decrease in HAdV detection rate of 13.5% during the COVID-19 pandemic 49 . Other studies have also reported the decline in the incidence of several pediatric infectious diseases of viral etiology during the COVID-19 pandemic, including gastroenteric viruses 50 – 53 .…”

Effects of COVID-19-targeted nonpharmaceutical interventions on children's respiratory admissions in China: a national multicenter time series study

“…It is reported that among children infected with community-acquired pneumonia in Shanghai, China, the detection rate of eight of the most common respiratory viruses, which ranged from 16.9% to 26.9% during 2011 to 2019, dramatically decreased to 10.5% in 2020( Li et al, 2022 ). Another microbiological study in Poland discovered a 99% drop in the respiratory syncytial virus among pediatric infections during the pandemic season until April 2021, compared to the pre-pandemic years( Grochowska et al, 2022 ). In addition, many studies also noticed the change in the incidence of bacterial pneumonia during the COVID-19 pandemic( Amin-Chowdhury et al, 2021 , Brueggemann et al, 2021 , Chan et al, 2021 , Chao and Lai, 2022 , Danino et al, 2021 , Fujita, 2021 , Zhang et al, 2021a ).…”