Characteristics and forecasting of respiratory viruses epidemic among
children in west China
Abstract
Objectives: To assess the characteristics and forecasting of respiratory
viruses epidemic among young children with acute respiratory tract
infection (ARTI) in west China. Methods: This study retrospected the
epidemic characteristics of respiratory viruses among 11813 pediatric
patients with ARTI between March 2018 and March 2020. Results: 11813
samples were collected, with a mean age of 2.25 years. The ratio of the
boy: the girl was 1.36. The two predominant viruses were influenza (Flu)
A and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), with Flu A accounting for
47.3% (n=1099), 47.5% (n=1333) and RSV accounting for 32.7% (n=760),
24.7% (n=692) of the positive samples in the two respective years. The
positive rate of Flu B was 10.9% and 13.1%, and the other four viruses
were <7%. The most common virus was RSV in the <5
years group and Flu A in the 5-10 years group. Flu A and RSV
demonstrated pronounced seasonality, and their infection rates increased
from October. During the pandemic of SARS-CoV-2, isolation measures led
to a decline in the number of ARTI. Conclusions: The study provided
surveillance of respiratory viruses in west China. It will provide
guidance for medical staff to implement the necessary prevention and
management strategies before the outbreak of the virus in the future.