A Retrospective Analysis of Changes in Respiratory Pathogens During the Influenza Season Before and After the Relaxation of Non-Pharmaceutical Intervention Policies.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly impacted the transmission dynamics and epidemiology of respiratory pathogens, primarily due to non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs). This study aims to evaluate the effects of NPIs on the characteristics of winter respiratory pathogens.

METHODS

This study involved the collection of respiratory pathogen test results from all patients tested at our hospital during two distinct periods: September 2021 to May 2022 and September 2022 to May 2023. The comparison of positive rates was performed using the test. A -value less than 0.05 indicates no statistical significance. Data analysis was performed using SPSS version 22.0.

RESULTS

The predominant pathogen during the 2021/2022 flu seasons was identified as Inf B (1095/9309, 11.76%). Conversely, during the 2022/2023 flu seasons, Inf A emerged as the most prevalent pathogen (4040/18,770, 21.52%). Notably, the positive rates of parainfluenza virus and were lower in the 2022/2023 flu seasons, while the positive rate of was higher. Furthermore, the number of positive SARS-CoV-2 cases in the 2022/2023 flu seasons increased nearly fivefold compared to the 2021/2022 flu seasons.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings of this study suggest that the relaxation of NPIs has a notable influence on the transmission of certain respiratory pathogens within the population. We propose the implementation of ongoing surveillance to monitor the epidemiology and evolutionary dynamics of various respiratory pathogens, particularly in situations where NPIs are no longer necessary.