Epidemiological changes in infectious diseases during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic in Korea: a systematic review

Suh

2022

Virol J

Background The development of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test promoted the evaluation of the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of human parainfluenza virus (HPIV) type 4, which has been rarely studied using conventional diagnostic methods. This study aimed to determine the seasonal epidemiological and clinical characteristics of all four HPIV serotypes (HPIV-1, HPIV-2, HPIV-3, and HPIV-4) during the era of PCR testing. Methods The medical records of hospitalized pediatric patients diagnosed with HPIV infections by a multiplex PCR test between 2015 and 2021 were retrospectively reviewed to determine the seasonal distributions of each HPIV serotype. For patients with a single HPIV infection, the clinical characteristics of each HPIV serotype were evaluated and compared with one another. Results Among the 514 cases of HPIV infection, HPIV-1, HPIV-2, HPIV-3, and HPIV-4 were identified in 27.2%, 11.9%, 42.6%, and 18.3% of cases, respectively. HPIV-3 was most prevalent in spring, and the other three serotypes were most prevalent in autumn. For patients with a single HPIV infection, those infected by HPIV-1 and HPIV-3 were younger than those infected by HPIV-2 and HPIV-4 (P < 0.001). Croup and lower respiratory tract infection (LRI) were most frequently diagnosed in patients infected by HPIV-1 (P < 0.001) and HPIV-4 (P = 0.002), respectively. During 2020–2021, HPIV-3 was most prevalent in autumn and caused fewer LRIs (P = 0.009) and more seizures (P < 0.001) than during 2015–2019. Conclusions Each HPIV serotype exhibited a distinct seasonal predominance, and some differences in the clinical characteristics of the HPIV serotypes were observed. HPIV-4 acted as an important cause of LRI. Considering the recent changes in the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of HPIV-3, more time-series analyses should be conducted.

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seasonal epidemiological and clinical characteristics of pediatric patients with human parainfluenza virus infection by serotype: a retrospective study

Suh

2022

Virol J

“…This led to a significant decrease in the transmission of common infectious pathogens among children ( 8 ). Moreover, the overall incidence of respiratory infections in South Korea significantly decreased after the implementation of the COVID-19 mitigation measures in February 2020 ( 9 ). Accordingly, these measures may have influenced the incidence of respiratory viral infections causing a parallel change in the incidence and clinical characteristics of FS.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of COVID-19 on the incidence of respiratory viral infections and clinical characteristics of associated febrile seizures

Park¹,

Kim²,

Suh³

et al. 2023

Transl Pediatr

Background: Viral infections of the upper respiratory tract are one of the most common causes of febrile seizures (FSs). During the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, mitigation measures have contributed to changes in the incidence of respiratory viral infections. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the incidence of respiratory viral infections and clinical characteristics of FSs. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 988 episodes of FS (865 before the pandemic and 123 during the pandemic) between March 2016 and February 2022. Seizure characteristics and their outcomes, along with the distribution of identified respiratory viruses were compared before and during the pandemic.Results: The occurrence of FSs decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to that before the pandemic. A substantial reduction in the incidence of influenza virus infections was observed (P<0.001) during the pandemic, while the incidence of rhinovirus infection was not significantly changed (P=0.811). Interestingly, a significantly high incidence of parainfluenza virus (P=0.001) infections was observed during the pandemic. No statistically significant between-group differences were observed in the clinical presentation and outcomes of FSs before and during the pandemic.Conclusions: Despite epidemiological changes in respiratory viral infections, the clinical characteristics and outcomes of FSs before and during the COVID-19 pandemic were comparable.

“…NPIs have proven effective in mitigating the epidemic curves in various contexts, even without vaccines or specific treatments targeting the pathogen [2][3][4]. Since March 2020, stringent public health measures have been implemented nationwide in South Korea, effectively suppressing the spread of COVID-19 [5][6][7].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The effects of NPIs are not necessarily limited to COVID-19, and they could influence the incidences of other infectious diseases. Because the major mechanism underlying the effects of NPIs comprises reducing effective contact within the population, NPIs can also mitigate other respiratory infectious diseases [5, 8, 9]. Furthermore, with the implementation of social distancing measures (e.g., restrictions on social gatherings in restaurants) and improved personal hygiene practices, it is possible to reduce the occurrence of gastrointestinal diseases [9, 10].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trends in Nationally Notifiable Infectious Diseases in Humans and Animals During the COVID-19 Pandemic in South Korea

Chang,

Cho,

Yoo

et al. 2023

Preprint

Non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) were implemented to cope with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in South Korea. These interventions could also have affected other infectious diseases, but there have been no comprehensive studies regarding their impacts. This study examined trends in notifiable infectious diseases in both humans and animals during the COVID-19 pandemic. Autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) models were developed for each disease using data from 2016 to 2019, and the incidences for 2020 to 2021 were predicted. Subsequently, the predicted numbers of cases were compared with actual observations. Our findings indicated a substantial reduction in human respiratory infectious diseases during implementation of NPIs. However, human gastrointestinal infectious diseases and livestock diseases did not show a significant decrease. The results revealed that the preventive effect sizes of NPIs varied among diseases and indicated the potential for side effects, suggesting that complementary interventions are needed to minimize these negative effects.