Waning infant pertussis during COVID-19 pandemic.

Measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19 have been associated with reduction in other respiratory infections. Results of a national Swedish cohort study of infant pertussis during April 2020-September 2021 were compared with those during January 2014-March 2020. The number of pertussis cases decreased significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic, from an average of 21 infant cases per quarter of a year before the pandemic to an average of 1 case per quarter during the pandemic.

National Swedish survey showed that child health services and routine immunisation programmes were resilient during the early COVID-19 pandemic.

Aim: Routine immunisation programmes are at risk of disruption due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to investigate the resilience of the Swedish national immunisation programme for children up to the age of five years during the early stages of the pandemic.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional, web-based survey of regional child health offices in Sweden between 10 September and 9 October 2020.

Viral aetiology and clinical outcomes in hospitalised infants presenting with respiratory distress.

Aim: To determine the prevalence of various types of viruses in infants hospitalised due to respiratory distress, compare molecular diagnostic tests and evaluate symptom severity.

Methods: All 136 nasopharyngeal aspirates from infants hospitalised for respiratory distress over a 9-month period were analysed for virus type by in-house respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) polymerase chain reaction (PCR) microarray-based and/or Luminex-based multiplex molecular tests. Medical records were reviewed retrospectively for clinical data.