Third Department of Pediatrics, Attikon University Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Attica, Greece.
Centre for Clinical Epidemiology and Outcomes Research (CLEO), Athens, Greece.
BMJ Paediatr Open. 2022 Mar;6(1). doi: 10.1136/bmjpo-2021-001391.
Aiming to the containment of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, governments worldwide have implemented a series of non-pharmaceutical interventions. Many of them and especially school closures have impacted the circulation of multiple airborne pathogens among children and adolescents. This study investigates the incidence of influenza and invasive meningococcal disease among children aged 0-14 years in Greece during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Data regarding the number of influenza-like illness cases, influenza-related paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) admissions and invasive meningococcal disease cases among children 0-14 years old were obtained from the National Public Health Organization. The incidence of the two diseases during the COVID-19 pandemic period (2020/2021) was compared with that of the six preceding seasons (2014-2019).
A notable decrease was observed in both influenza and invasive meningococcal disease cases during the period 2020/2021 compared with the years 2014-2019. The mean annual rate of influenza-like illness cases and influenza-related PICU admissions in children 0-14 years old has reduced by 66.9% and 100%, respectively, while the mean annual invasive meningococcal disease rate has declined by 70%. Both weekly influenza-like illness and monthly invasive meningococcal disease rates were significantly decreased.
The activity of influenza and invasive meningococcal disease in the children and adolescents of Greece has decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic period. Reduced transmission is likely related to the public health measures that were implemented to control the pandemic. The value of these measures may have relevance to the future management of influenza or invasive meningococcal disease epidemics.
为了控制 2019 年冠状病毒病（COVID-19）大流行，世界各国政府实施了一系列非药物干预措施。其中许多措施，特别是学校关闭，影响了儿童和青少年中多种空气传播病原体的传播。本研究调查了 COVID-19 大流行期间希腊 0-14 岁儿童流感和侵袭性脑膜炎球菌病的发病率。
从国家公共卫生组织获得了有关 0-14 岁儿童流感样疾病病例、与流感相关的儿科重症监护病房（PICU）入院和侵袭性脑膜炎球菌病病例数的数据。将这两种疾病在 COVID-19 大流行期间（2020/2021 年）的发病率与前六个季节（2014-2019 年）进行了比较。
与 2014-2019 年相比，2020/2021 年期间流感和侵袭性脑膜炎球菌病的病例数均明显减少。0-14 岁儿童的流感样疾病和与流感相关的 PICU 入院的年平均发病率分别下降了 66.9%和 100%，而侵袭性脑膜炎球菌病的年平均发病率下降了 70%。每周流感样疾病和每月侵袭性脑膜炎球菌病的发病率均显著下降。
COVID-19 大流行期间，希腊儿童和青少年的流感和侵袭性脑膜炎球菌病活动减少。传播减少可能与为控制大流行而实施的公共卫生措施有关。这些措施的价值可能与流感或侵袭性脑膜炎球菌病流行的未来管理有关。
