![]() ![]() In the case of RSV/Rhinovirus, these were presence of an upper and/or lower respiratory-tract infection, age of 1 year. Until 2020, all tests were carried out in patients with corresponding clinical symptoms following clinical guidelines. Our analysis is based on results from a total of 32,506 routine clinical specimens of both outpatients and inpatients seen at our hospital between 20. 1A).Īt the Hauner Children's Hospital, a large tertiary care university hospital, the number of accident and emergency (A&E) visits for respiratory or gastrointestinal infections as well as the number of microbiologically detected viral infections in patients between 2019 and August 2021 were investigated. However, in the latter, other viral diseases seem to play more prominent role than SARS-CoV-2 (Fig. īesides the current dramatic increase in the number of COVID-19 patients (primarily adult cases) leading to a massive workload for the health system, there is also a concerning shortage of capacities in children’s hospitals. In these challenging times, point-of-care diagnostic tests (POCT), such as multiplex-PCR systems, have played an increasingly important role in the diagnosis of viral respiratory infections in acute and emergency care and have generated relevant epidemiological data on these clinical entities. An increase in viral gastrointestinal infections has barely been reported in the literature until today. In addition, the impact of a potentially increased occurrence of other viral infections such as Rhinovirus infections on children with pre-existing pulmonary conditions is also currently unknown. However, the epidemiological course of RSV and Influenza infections in different regions of the world show fairly different patterns potentially due to differences in infection control measures, climate, and seasonality of infections. Ī recent report noted the potential impact of clustered infections from RSV on the health care system and vulnerable patient populations. Enhanced vigilance will be key to face clinical challenges due to these epidemiological changes in viral disease patterns in the months to come.įollowing the two lockdown periods (March 2020–May 2020 December 2020–March 2021) in Germany, a joint statement of the German Society for Pediatric Infectious Diseases (DGPI) and the Society for Pediatric Pneumology (GPP) warned of a possible RSV and Influenza wave outside the usual season and suggested appropriate preventive interventions including administration of Palivizumab for children at risk, in Germany. The observed increase in respiratory infections in children is worrying and is already causing hospitals to become overburdened. Rota-/Norovirus), the effect on respective seasonal patterns was only minimal compared to previous years. In contrast, for non-respiratory viruses (i.e. ![]() The occurrence of RSV was observed beginning from June to August 2021 and reached an all-time record with a 25- to 50-fold increase in numbers in September and October 2021 in relation to previous pre-pandemic years (2017–2019). Notably, Rhino-/Enterovirus infections increased 4-fold (2020 vs. While a decrease in overall viral infections was observed during the first and second lockdown period, an extraordinary increase in the number of viral respiratory infections, predominantly caused by human Rhino-/Enterovirus and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), was observed after relaxation of preventive measures. We aimed to illustrate annual distribution of confirmed viral infections between 20 based on 32,506 clinical samples in a German pediatric tertiary care center and to explore the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the epidemiology of these infections in children. ![]() Following discontinuation of preventative measures, a potential increase of respective infections outside of their usual seasons was a matter of concern. During COVID-19-related public health non-pharmaceutical prevention measures, such as social distancing, lockdown periods and use of face masks, a decrease in viral respiratory and gastroenterological infections was observed worldwide. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |