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Viruses
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Impact of Pandemic Measures on the Epidemiology and Seasonality of...
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Impact of Pandemic Measures on the Epidemiology and Seasonality of Other Viruses

A special issue of Viruses (ISSN 1999-4915). This special issue belongs to the section "Human Virology and Viral Diseases".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2024 | Viewed by 3203

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Julian Tang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Respiratory Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK
Interests: respiratory viruses; diagnosis; treatment; aerosol transmission; infection control; pathogenesis; epidemiology; bloodborne viruses; congenital viral infections; viral infections of the immunocompromised
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Since the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions have been lifted in many countries, reports are being published about how the pandemic measures have impacted on the normal seasonal epidemiology of other viruses, such as influenza, RSV, parainfluenza, rhinoviruses, enteroviruses, adenoviruses, etc. 

These changes have often manifested as viral rebounds in case numbers after social distancing measures were removed. 

This has had the potential to cause more severe disease in children caught in this viral rebound, where children were less exposed to circulating viruses, due to reduced socialising with school friends, and not being able to develop immunity to these agents. One example may be the global outbreaks of severe hepatitis that were linked to adenoviruses in many cases in 2022.

This Special Issue will capture some of these reports and assess their impact on related populations. Such studies will prepare us for the possible consequences of such prolonged non-pharmaceutical measures being taken during any next pandemic.

Dr. Julian Tang
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Viruses is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • epidemiology
  • pandemic measures
  • changing pattern
  • seasonality
  • COVID-19
  • impact
  • lockdown
  • viral circulation
  • host immunity

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 1061 KiB  
Article
The Changing Detection Rate of Respiratory Syncytial Virus in Adults in Western Australia between 2017 and 2023
by David A. Foley, Cara A. Minney-Smith, Andrew Tjea, Mark P. Nicol, Avram Levy, Hannah C. Moore and Christopher C. Blyth
Viruses 2024, 16(5), 656; https://doi.org/10.3390/v16050656 - 23 Apr 2024
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Abstract
The incidence of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in adults is inadequately defined and the impact of SARS-CoV-2-related non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) is underexplored. Using laboratory data, we described the detection rate of RSV in adults ≥16 years in Western Australia (WA) between 2017 and [...] Read more.
The incidence of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in adults is inadequately defined and the impact of SARS-CoV-2-related non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) is underexplored. Using laboratory data, we described the detection rate of RSV in adults ≥16 years in Western Australia (WA) between 2017 and 2023. With the exception of 2020, RSV detections rose annually between 2017 and 2023, reaching 50.7 per 100,000 in 2023 (95% confidence interval [CI], 47.9–53.8). RSV testing expanded considerably across the study period, with the testing in 2023 more than five times the 2017 total. The detection rate was highest in adults ≥60 years between 2017 and 2019, particularly those ≥75 years. Following 2020, the detections in all age groups increased, with the highest detection rate in 2023 in those ≥75-years (199.5 per 100,000; 95% CI, 180.5–220). NPIs significantly impacted RSV seasonality; the preceding winter pattern was disrupted, resulting in an absent 2020 winter season and two major summer seasons in 2020/21 and 2021/22. The RSV season began to realign in 2022, reverting to a winter seasonal pattern in 2023 and the largest season in the study period. Ongoing surveillance will be required to understand the stability of these increases and to delineate the impact of new immunisation strategies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Impact of Pandemic Measures on the Epidemiology and Seasonality of Other Viruses)
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18 pages, 909 KiB  
Article
Changes in Prevalence and Seasonality of Pathogens Identified in Acute Respiratory Tract Infections in Hospitalised Individuals in Rural and Urban Settings in South Africa; 2018–2022
by Michaela Davids, Siobhan Johnstone, Adriano Mendes, Gadean Brecht, Theunis Avenant, Nicolette du Plessis, Maryke de Villiers, Nicola Page and Marietjie Venter
Viruses 2024, 16(3), 404; https://doi.org/10.3390/v16030404 - 05 Mar 2024
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Abstract
Severe acute respiratory tract infections (SARIs) has been well described in South Africa with seasonal patterns described for influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), while others occur year-round (rhinovirus and adenovirus). This prospective syndromic hospital-based surveillance study describes the prevalence and impact of [...] Read more.
Severe acute respiratory tract infections (SARIs) has been well described in South Africa with seasonal patterns described for influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), while others occur year-round (rhinovirus and adenovirus). This prospective syndromic hospital-based surveillance study describes the prevalence and impact of public interventions on the seasonality of other respiratory pathogens during the coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic. This occurred from August 2018 to April 2022, with 2595 patients who met the SARS case definition and 442 controls, from three sentinel urban and rural hospital sites in South Africa. Naso/oro-pharyngeal (NP/OP) swabs were tested using the FastTrack Diagnostics® Respiratory pathogens 33 (RUO) kit. Descriptive statistics, odds ratios, and univariate/multivariate analyses were used. Rhinovirus (14.80%, 228/1540) and Streptococcus pneumoniae (28.50%, 439/1540) were most frequently detected in NP/OP swabs and in children <1 years old (35%, 648/1876). Among others, pathogens associated with SARI cases causing disease were influenza A&B, HRV, RSV, hCoV 229e, Haemophilus influenzae, Staphylococcus aureus, and Streptococcus pneumoniae. Pre-COVID-19, seasonal trends of these pathogens correlated with previous years, with RSV and influenza A seasons only resuming after the national lockdown (2021). It is evident that stringent lockdown conditions have severe impacts on the prevalence of respiratory tract infections. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Impact of Pandemic Measures on the Epidemiology and Seasonality of Other Viruses)
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19 pages, 3777 KiB  
Article
Molecular Epidemiology of Respiratory Syncytial Virus during 2019–2022 and Surviving Genotypes after the COVID-19 Pandemic in Japan
by Sayaka Yoshioka, Wint Wint Phyu, Keita Wagatsuma, Takao Nagai, Yasuko Sano, Kiyosu Taniguchi, Nobuo Nagata, Kazuhiko Tomimoto, Isamu Sato, Harumi Kaji, Ken Sugata, Katsumi Sugiura, Naruo Saito, Satoshi Aoki, Eitaro Suzuki, Yasushi Shimada, Hirotsune Hamabata, Irina Chon, Teruhime Otoguro, Hisami Watanabe and Reiko Saitoadd Show full author list remove Hide full author list
Viruses 2023, 15(12), 2382; https://doi.org/10.3390/v15122382 - 04 Dec 2023
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Abstract
To evaluate the changes in respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) collected between 2019 and 2022, we analyzed RSV-A and RSV-B strains from various prefectures in Japan before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. RT-PCR-positive samples collected from children with rapid test positivity at outpatient clinics [...] Read more.
To evaluate the changes in respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) collected between 2019 and 2022, we analyzed RSV-A and RSV-B strains from various prefectures in Japan before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. RT-PCR-positive samples collected from children with rapid test positivity at outpatient clinics in 11 prefectures in Japan were sequenced for the ectodomain of the G gene to determine the genotype. Time-aware phylogeographic analyses were performed using the second hypervariable region (HVR) of the G gene from 2012 to 2022. Of 967 samples, 739 (76.4%) were found to be RSV-positive using RT-PCR. RSV peaked in September 2019 but was not detected in 2020, except in Okinawa. Nationwide epidemics occurred with peaks in July 2021 and 2022. The genotype remained the same, ON1 for RSV-A and BA9 for RSV-B during 2019–2022. Phylogeographic analysis of HVR revealed that at least seven clusters of RSV-A had circulated previously but decreased to two clusters after the pandemic, whereas RSV-B had a single monophyletic cluster over the 10 years. Both RSV-A and RSV-B were transferred from Okinawa into other prefectures after the pandemic. The RSV epidemic was suppressed due to pandemic restrictions; however, pre-pandemic genotypes spread nationwide after the pandemic. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Impact of Pandemic Measures on the Epidemiology and Seasonality of Other Viruses)
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