Epidemiological changes of common respiratory viruses in children during the COVID-19 pandemic

A variety of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) have been implemented to control the transmission of COVID-19 in China. The effect of NPIs on other common respiratory viruses in children of different age groups has not been examined thus far. Respiratory specimens of children were collected to detect common childhood respiratory viruses, including influenza A (FluA), influenza B (FluB), adenovirus, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), at the Children's Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine from January 1, 2019 to December 31, 2020. The epidemiological characteristics of the respiratory viruses in 2020 were compared with those in 2019. From January 2019 to December 2020, 165 622 specimens were collected. The proportion of infants aged 0-28 days (683, 2.24% vs. 1295, 0.96%, p = 0.000) and 1-12 months (8560, 28.12% vs. 20 875, 15.43%, p = 0.000) in 2020 increased significantly compared with that in 2019. There were two obvious increases in April and September in the number of specimens in children aged 4-6 years and >7 years. FluA, FluB, and RSV's age distribution patterns were surprisingly consistent with each other in 2020, and the positive rates of children aged 1-12 months were the highest in all age groups (FluA: 4.45%, FluB: 3.30%, RSV: 7.35%). Our study further confirms that the NPIs significantly decreased the transmission of common childhood respiratory viruses. The change in circulation characteristics of common respiratory viruses of children in different age groups varied. Therefore, we recommend that different protection strategies should be introduced for children of different age groups.

Automated summary

This study investigated the impact of non-pharmaceutical interventions on the transmission of common respiratory viruses in children in China. The results showed a significant increase in the proportion of infants aged 0-28 days and 1-12 months in 2020 compared to 2019. There were also two noticeable peaks in the number of respiratory virus specimens among children aged 4-6 years and >7 years. Additionally, the age distribution patterns of FluA, FluB, and RSV were remarkably consistent, with the highest positive rates observed in children aged 1-12 months. The study further confirmed the effectiveness of non-pharmaceutical interventions in reducing the transmission of common childhood respiratory viruses, and suggested the implementation of different protection strategies for children of different age groups.