Università degli Studi di Milano, 20122 Milan, Italy.
Pediatric Clinic, Pietro Barilla Children's Hospital, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University Hospital of Parma, 43126 Parma, Italy.
Viruses. 2023 May 13;15(5):1160. doi: 10.3390/v15051160.
To face the COVID-19 outbreak, a wide range of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) aimed at limiting the spread of the virus in communities, such as mask-wearing, hand hygiene, social distancing, travel restrictions, and school closures, were introduced in most countries. Thereafter, a significant reduction of new asymptomatic and symptomatic COVID-19 cases occurred, although there were differences between countries according to the type and duration of the NPIs. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic has been accompanied by significant variations in the global incidence of diseases due to the most common non-SARS-CoV-2 respiratory viruses and some bacteria. In this narrative review, the epidemiology of the most common non-SARS-CoV-2 respiratory infections during the COVID-19 pandemic is detailed. Moreover, factors that could have had a role in modifying the traditional circulation of respiratory pathogens are discussed. A literature analysis shows that NPIs were the most important cause of the general reduction in the incidence of influenza and respiratory syncytial virus infection in the first year of the pandemic, although the different sensitivity of each virus to NPIs, the type and duration of measures used, as well as the interference among viruses may have played a role in modulating viral circulation. Reasons for the increase in the incidences of and group A infections seem strictly linked to immunity debt and the role played by NPIs in reducing viral infections and limiting bacterial superimposed infections. These results highlight the importance of NPIs during pandemics, the need to monitor the circulation of infectious agents that cause diseases similar to those caused by pandemic agents, and the need to make efforts to improve coverage with available vaccines.
为应对 COVID-19 疫情，大多数国家都采取了广泛的非药物干预措施（NPIs），旨在限制病毒在社区中的传播，例如戴口罩、手部卫生、社交距离、旅行限制和学校关闭等。此后，虽然各国根据 NPIs 的类型和持续时间的不同，新的无症状和有症状 COVID-19 病例有所减少。此外，COVID-19 大流行伴随着由于最常见的非 SARS-CoV-2 呼吸道病毒和一些细菌引起的全球疾病发病率的显著变化。在这篇叙述性综述中，详细描述了 COVID-19 大流行期间最常见的非 SARS-CoV-2 呼吸道感染的流行病学。此外，还讨论了可能对改变呼吸道病原体传统传播起作用的因素。文献分析表明，在大流行的第一年，NPIs 是导致流感和呼吸道合胞病毒感染发病率普遍下降的最重要原因，尽管每种病毒对 NPIs 的敏感性不同、使用的措施类型和持续时间不同，以及病毒之间的相互干扰可能在调节病毒传播方面发挥了作用。 和 A 组链球菌感染发病率增加的原因似乎与免疫债务以及 NPIs 在减少病毒感染和限制细菌继发感染方面的作用密切相关。这些结果强调了 NPIs 在大流行期间的重要性，需要监测引起与大流行病原体引起的疾病相似的传染病原体的循环，并努力提高现有疫苗的覆盖率。
