School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
Department of Hygiene, Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
Epidemiol Infect. 2024 May 13;152:e94. doi: 10.1017/S0950268824000724.
The COVID-19 pandemic modified the epidemiology and the transmission of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). We collected data on RSV positivity and incidence from children hospitalized in the largest tertiary paediatric hospital in Greece before (2018-2020, period A), during (2020-2021, period B), and after (2021-2023, period C) the COVID-19 lockdown. A total of 9,508 children were tested for RSV. RSV positivity (%) was 17.6% (552/3,134) for period A, 2.1% (13/629) for period B, and 13.4% (772/5,745) for period C (p < 0.001). The mean age (±SD) of RSV-positive children among the three periods was A: 5.9(±9.3), B: 13.6 (±25.3), and C: 16.7 (±28.6) months (p < 0.001). The peak of RSV epidemiology was shifted from January-March (period A) to October-December (period C). RSV in-hospital incidence per 1,000 hospitalizations in paediatric departments was A:16.7, B:1.0, and C:28.1 (p < 0.001), and the incidence in the intensive care unit was A: 17.3, B: 0.6, and C: 26.6 (p < 0.001). A decrease in RSV incidence was observed during the COVID-19 lockdown period, whereas a significant increase was observed after the lockdown. A change in epidemiological patterns was identified after the end of the lockdown, with an earlier seasonal peak and an age shift of increased RSV incidence in older children.
COVID-19 大流行改变了呼吸道合胞病毒 (RSV) 的流行病学和传播方式。我们收集了希腊最大的三级儿科医院住院儿童的 RSV 阳性率和发病率数据，这些数据来自 COVID-19 封锁之前（2018-2020 年，A 期）、期间（2020-2021 年，B 期）和之后（2021-2023 年，C 期）。共有 9508 名儿童接受了 RSV 检测。A 期 RSV 阳性率（%）为 17.6%（552/3134），B 期为 2.1%（13/629），C 期为 13.4%（772/5745）（p<0.001）。三个时期 RSV 阳性儿童的平均年龄（±SD）分别为 A 期：5.9（±9.3），B 期：13.6（±25.3）和 C 期：16.7（±28.6）个月（p<0.001）。RSV 流行病学的高峰从 1 月至 3 月（A 期）转移到 10 月至 12 月（C 期）。儿科病房每 1000 例住院的 RSV 院内发病率分别为 A 期：16.7，B 期：1.0，C 期：28.1（p<0.001），重症监护病房为 A 期：17.3，B 期：0.6，C 期：26.6（p<0.001）。在 COVID-19 封锁期间，RSV 发病率下降，而封锁后发病率显著上升。封锁结束后，我们发现了流行病学模式的变化，季节性高峰提前，年龄较大的儿童 RSV 发病率上升。
