Changes in the Epidemiology of Common Respiratory Viruses in Children in Northern China Before and After the COVID-19 Pandemic (2019-2023)

Linyan Tang^1,2Kaiwen Zheng^1,2Yan Liang¹Yang Qiu¹Ke Wang¹Zhang Jing¹Xing Chen^1*

• ¹Shandong Provincial Hospital, Jinan, Shandong Province, China
• ²Shandong Second Medical University, Weifang, Shandong Province, China

Objectives: To understand the epidemiological characteristics of common respiratory viruses in children before and after the COVID-19 pandemic.Methods: This study retrospectively analyzed inpatient and out-patient patients aged 0–14 years who were suspected diagnosis with a respiratory infection in a tertiary hospital from January 2019 to December 2023. Five common respiratory viruses, namely, Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), influenza A virus (Flu-A), influenza B virus(Flu-B), human rhinovirus (HRV) and adenovirus (ADV), were detected by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction..Results: A study of 3,428 patients and 59,292 test data for respiratory virus nucleic acid in the study, with an overall positivity rate of 6.27% (3,720/52,291).The overall positivity rates in 2020, 2021 and 2022 was lower than before the COVID-19 pandemic (P≤0.001). From March 2020 to September 2020, RSV, Flu-A, and Flu-B were dormant, while HRV and ADV remained active. The positivity rates of RSV and Flu-A rebounded in 2023, with RSV reaching its peak in May and Flu-A reaching its peak in March. In December 2023 both RSV and Flu-A peaked, and their seasonal epidemics resumed. The respiratory virus positivity rate in infants was found to greater than that in preschool-aged and school-aged children. School-aged children was the main group of RSV and Flu-A in 2023.Conclusion: The positivity rate of other common respiratory viruses decreased or the seasonal epidemic was delayed It is necessary to pay close attention to the epidemic dynamics of respiratory viruses, vaccination as early as possible and take measures to prevent respiratory infections.