J Med Virol. 2022 Jan 23. doi: 10.1002/jmv.27619. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
The public health interventions to mitigate COVID-19 could also potentially reduce the global activity of influenza. However, this strategy’s impact on other common infectious diseases is unknown. We collected the data of ten respiratory infectious (RI) diseases, influenza-like illnesses (ILI), and seven gastrointestinal infectious (GI) diseases during 2015-2020 in China and applied two proportional tests to check the differences in the yearly incidence and mortality, and case fatality rates (CFRs) over the years 2015-2020. The results showed that the overall RI activity decreased by 7.47%, from 181.64 in 2015-2019 to 168.08 per 100,000 in 2020 (p < 0.001); however, the incidence of influenza was seen to have a 16.08% escalation (p < 0.001). On the contrast, average weekly ILI percentage and positive influenza virus rate decreased by 6.25% and 61.94% respectively in 2020 compared to the previous five years (all p < 0.001). The overall incidence of GI decreased by 45.28%, from 253.73 in 2015-2019 to 138.84 in 2020 per 100,000 (p < 0.001), and with the greatest decline seen in hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) (64.66%; p < 0.001). The mortality and CFRs from RI increased by 128.49% and 146.95%, respectively, in 2020, compared to 2015-2019 (p < 0.001). However, the mortality rates and CFRs of seven GI decreased by 70.56% and 46.12%, respectively (p < 0.001). In conclusion, China’s COVID-19 elimination/containment strategy is very effective in reducing the incidence rates of RI and GI, and ILI activity, as well as the mortality and CFRs of GI diseases. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
PMID:35067944 | DOI:10.1002/jmv.27619
