Infections in a Tertiary Care Pediatric Center in Southern Poland during the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic

Abstract

The worldwide surge of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has caused a global pandemic and led governments to control spread of the virus and provide care for the population affected by the infection. Although, in children, COVID-19 is usually asymptomatic or mild (except PIMS), the pandemic affected the whole socioeconomic system and led to the overwhelming of healthcare facilities. We report retrospective observations of the prevalence of various infectious diseases during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in a tertiary multidisciplinary pediatric center in Southern Poland. We retrospectively evaluated the impact of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on the number of other infections diagnosed in a pediatric tertiary care referral center. Our analysis included the period from the beginning of February to the end of April 2020 (spring pandemic wave), and from the beginning of September to the end of November 2020 (autumn pandemic wave). We compared them to the appropriate periods of 2019. The evaluation included blood, urine, stool and lover respiratory tract cultures as well as virological investigations. Additionally, the costs of antibiotics and antifungal drugs in selected departments were assessed. Our analysis showed considerable reduction in the majority of common infections except for influenza A and B. The microbiological data correspond with economical summary of antibiotic costs, which were significantly lower during the pandemic. One exception was the number of positive blood cultures, which increased even though the overall number of tests was lower. A general reduction of the number of infections diagnosed in children could result from the implemented preventative measures associated with the pandemic and the generally increased awareness of the risk of infection among parents and guardians. The treatment of the most serious diseases continued as it did before the pandemic. To our knowledge, this study is the first attempt to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the prevalence of infections in a large pediatric center. Further research on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the healthcare systems is necessary.

Keywords

• common infections
• SARS-CoV-2 pandemic