Increased frequency of varicella in children referred to a private infectious clinic in Shiraz in the post-COVID-19 period
کد: G-1059
نویسندگان: Gholamreza Pouladfar © ℗, Zahra Jafarpour, Abdolreza Pouladfar
زمان بندی: زمان بندی نشده!
دانلود: دانلود پوستر
خلاصه مقاله:
خلاصه مقاله
Background and aims; Varicella or chickenpox caused by Varicella zoster virus is a common preventable disease among children. Universal vaccination is not carried out routinely in Iran. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic as a public health emergency of international concern had started on 11 March 2020 (28 Esfand 1398) and ended on 5 May 2023 (15 Ordibehesht 1402). Iranian schools were closed during this period, and training was conducted virtually. While during the period of COVID-19, the rate of other infections in children had decreased, after the period of COVID-19, a significant increase in the incidence of various types of infections in children has been reported worldwide. Our aim in this study is to investigate the rate of referral of children with varicella to a special pediatric infectious disease clinic in Shiraz during the period of COVID-19 (1399-1401) and after that (1402). Material and methods: All children with varicella, who referred to a pediatric infectious diseases specialist private clinic in Shiraz from 1399 to 1402, were included. The information on the occurrence of this disease and the total number of the patients was retrieved and recorded based on the information recorded in the electronic files of this clinic. The percentage of children with varicella was calculated in relation to the total number of children referred to this clinic. These percentages were compared at two points in time, i.e. during the Covid-10 pandemic in 1399 to 1401 with the period after the pandemic in 1402. Results: During the three years of the Covid-19 pandemic period (1401-1399), 44 children were diagnosed with varicella, which is 0.2% of all referral patients. In 1402 in post-COVID-19 period, 135 children with varicella were referred, which was equivalent to 1.2% of children referred, which shows a significant increase. Conclusion: The reasons for the significant increase in the number of children with varicella in the study population of this study in the post-COVID-19 pandemic period needs further investigation, which can be crucial in the decision making about the extensive and long quarantines for for children in the possible upcoming pandemics.
