Epidemiological characteristics of seasonal influenza under implementation of zero-COVID-19 strategy in China

作者：Hui Zeng, Meihong Cai, Shiqi Li, Xiaoping Chen, Xianqun Xu, Wen Xie, Yong Xiong, Xinghua Long · 发表于：Journal of Infection and Public Health · 年份：2023 · DOI：10.1016/j.jiph.2023.05.014 · 被引用次数：19 · 研究领域：Influenza Virus Research Studies、Respiratory viral infections research、COVID-19 epidemiological studies

OBJECTIVE: Respiratory viral diseases have posed a persistent threat to public health due to their high transmissibility. Influenza virus and SARS-Cov-2 are both respiratory viruses that have caused global pandemics. A zero-COVID-19 strategy is a public health policy imposed to stop community transmission of COVID-19 as soon as it is detected. In this study, we aim to examine the epidemiological characteristics of seasonal influenza in the past five years before and after the emergence of COVID-19 in China and observe the possible impact of the strategy on influenza. METHODS: Data from two data sources were retrospectively analyzed. A comparison on influenza incidence rate between Hubei and Zhejiang provinces was conducted based on data from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Then a descriptive and comparative analysis on seasonal influenza based on data from Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University and Hangzhou Ninth People`s Hospital before and after the outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 was conducted. RESULTS: From 2010-2017, both provinces experienced relatively low influenza activity until the 1st week of 2018, when they reached peak incidence rates of 78.16/100000PY, 34.05/100000PY respectively. Since then, influenza showed an obvious seasonality in Hubei and Zhejiang until the onset of COVID-19. During 2020 and 2021, there was a dramatic decline in influenza activity compared to 2018 and 2019. However, influenza activity seemed to rebound at the beginning o...