Fewer children Hospitalized for Other Infections During COVID--UK study

Pediatric hospitalizations for all types of infections fell dramatically during the COVID-19 pandemic, with the greatest declines in flu-related hospitalizations, British researchers found.

Compared with the period from March 1, 2017 to Feb. 29, 2020, influenza-associated hospitalizations from March 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021 dropped 94% (95% CI 89-97%) among children ages 14 and younger, reported Seilesh Kadambari, MD, of the University of Oxford in England, and colleagues.

Measles-related hospitalizations declined by 90% (95% CI 80-95%), and bronchiolitis-related hospitalizations were down 82% (95% CI 79-84%), the authors noted in The BMJ.

These reductions were seen across demographic groups and comorbid conditions, they added.

Kadambari and colleagues examined data from NHS hospitals for children admitted with infections defined by specific ICD-10 diagnostic codes comprising 19 diagnoses, including severe invasive infections, respiratory infections, and vaccine-preventable diseases. These data were linked to national mortality records.

Hospital admissions were down for all but one of the 19 conditions, the authors said. ...