Changes in the Epidemiology of Respiratory Pathogens in Children during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Asmae Lamrani Hanchi,
Morad Guennouni,
Toufik Ben Houmich,
Mohamed Echchakery,
Ghizlane Draiss,
Noureddine Rada,
Said Younous,
Mohamed Bouskraoui,
Nabila Soraa
Affiliations
Asmae Lamrani Hanchi
Laboratory of Microbiology, University Hospital Mohamed VI, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cadi Ayyad University, Marrakech 40030, Morocco
Morad Guennouni
Laboratory of Health Sciences and Technologies, Higher Institute of Health Sciences of Settat, Hassan First University of Settat, Settat 26000, Morocco
Toufik Ben Houmich
Laboratory of Microbiology, University Hospital Mohamed VI, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cadi Ayyad University, Marrakech 40030, Morocco
Mohamed Echchakery
Laboratory of Health Sciences and Technologies, Higher Institute of Health Sciences of Settat, Hassan First University of Settat, Settat 26000, Morocco
Ghizlane Draiss
Pediatric Department, University Hospital Mohamed VI, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy of Marrakech, Cadi Ayyad University, Marrakech 40030, Morocco
Noureddine Rada
Pediatric Department, University Hospital Mohamed VI, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy of Marrakech, Cadi Ayyad University, Marrakech 40030, Morocco
Said Younous
Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, University Hospital Mohamed VI, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy of Marrakech, Cadi Ayyad University, Marrakech 40030, Morocco
Mohamed Bouskraoui
Pediatric Department, University Hospital Mohamed VI, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy of Marrakech, Cadi Ayyad University, Marrakech 40030, Morocco
Nabila Soraa
Laboratory of Microbiology, University Hospital Mohamed VI, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cadi Ayyad University, Marrakech 40030, Morocco
Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, a significant decrease in non-COVID-19 respiratory illnesses were observed, suggesting that the implementation of measures against COVID-19 affected the transmission of other respiratory pathogens. The aim of this study was to highlight the changes in the epidemiology of respiratory pathogens in children during the COVID-19 pandemic. All children with Severe Acute respiratory illness admitted to the pediatric departments between January 2018 and December 2021 with negative COVID-19 PCR, were enrolled. The detection of respiratory pathogens was made by the Film Array Respiratory Panel. A total of 902 respiratory specimens were tested. A significantly lower positivity rate during the COVID-19 period was found (p = 0.006), especially in infants under 6 months (p = 0.008). There was a substantial absence of detection of Respiratory Syncytial Virus and Influenza A during the winter season following the outbreak of the pandemic (p p = 0.002 respectively). An inter-seasonal resurgence of Respiratory Syncytial Virus was noted. Human Rhinovirus was detected throughout the year, and more prevalent in winter during COVID-19 (p = 0.0002). These changes could be explained by the impact of the implementation of preventive measures related to the COVID-19 pandemic on the transmission of respiratory pathogens in children.
