Reassessing the Paradigm for Respiratory Tract Infections in European Children.

In numerous Northern Hemisphere countries, the winter season of 2022-2023 has posed exceptional challenges for healthcare providers and pediatricians, primarily as a result of an unprecedented rise in respiratory tract infections 1) European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. Intensified circulation of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and associated hospital burden in the EU/EEA. https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/publications-data/intensified-circulation-respiratory-syncytial-virus-rsv-and-associated-hospital (Accessed, 08 August, 2023) Google Scholar . Globally, a plethora of studies has indicated that the implementation and subsequent relaxation of nonpharmacological interventions (NPIs) to curb the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 have profoundly altered the epidemiological landscape of pediatric infectious diseases 2) Brueggemann A.B. Jansen van Rensburg M.J. Shaw D. et al. Changes in the incidence of invasive disease due to Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, and Neisseria meningitidis during the COVID-19 pandemic in 26 countries and territories in the Invasive Respiratory Infection Surveillance Initiative: a prospective analysis of surveillance data. Lancet Digit Health. 2021; 3: e360-e370 Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Google Scholar , 3) Izu A. Nunes M.C. Solomon F. et al. All-cause and pathogen-specific lower respiratory tract infection hospital admissions in children younger than 5 years during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020-22) compared with the pre-pandemic period (2015-19) in South Africa: an observational study. Lancet Infect Dis. 2023; 23: 1031-1041 Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (0) Google Scholar , 4) Levy C. Cohen R. Infectious diseases in the COVID-19 era: gaps between countries. Lancet Infect Dis. 2023; Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF Scopus (1) Google Scholar , 5) Yeoh D.K. Foley D.A. Minney-Smith C.A. et al. Impact of Coronavirus Disease 2019 Public Health Measures on Detections of Influenza and Respiratory Syncytial Virus in Children During the 2020 Australian Winter. Clin Infect Dis. 2021; 72: 2199-2202 Crossref PubMed Scopus (237) Google Scholar . Frequently, a resurgence follows a decline in cases. Nevertheless, the enduring consequences of these transformations remain shrouded in uncertainty and defy accurate prognostication. It is prudent, however, to monitor trends in developed Southern Hemisphere countries, renowned for their robust epidemiological surveillance systems 6) Australian Influenza Surveillance Reports – 2023. https://www.health.gov.au/resources/collections/australian-influenza-surveillance-reports-2023#:∼:text=The%20Australian%20Influenza%20Surveillance%20Report,influenza%20associated%20hospitalisations . (Accessed, 08 August, 2023) Google Scholar , as a harbinger of what patterns might lie ahead.