Objectives: Seasonal influenza is an acute respiratory infection that presents a significant annual burden to Canadians and the Canadian healthcare system. Social distancing measures that were implemented to control the 2019-2020 novel coronavirus outbreak were investigated for their ability to lessen the incident cases of seasonal influenza.
Methods: We conducted an ecological study using data from Canada's national influenza surveillance system to investigate whether social distancing measures to control COVID-19 reduced the incident cases of seasonal influenza. Data taken from three separate time frames facilitated analysis of the 2019-2020 influenza season prior to, during, and following the implementation of COVID-19-related measures and enabled comparisons with the same time periods during three preceding flu seasons. The incidence, which referred to the number of laboratory-confirmed cases of specific influenza strains, was of primary focus. Further analysis determined the number of new laboratory-confirmed influenza or influenza-like illness outbreaks.
Results: Our results indicate a premature end to the 2019-2020 influenza season, with significantly fewer cases and outbreaks being recorded following the enactment of many COVID-19 social distancing policies. The incidence of influenza strains A (H3N2), A (unsubtyped), and B were all significantly lower at the tail end of the 2019-2020 influenza season as compared with preceding seasons (p = 0.0003, p = 0.0007, p = 0.0019).
Conclusion: Specific social distancing measures and behaviours may serve as effective tools to limit the spread of influenza transmission moving forward, as they become more familiar.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8161713 | PMC |
| http://dx.doi.org/10.17269/s41997-021-00509-4 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
The impact of COVID-19-induced distance learning on physical activity and dietary habits of female students in the Qassim Region.
J Family Med Prim Care
December 2024
Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, College of Agriculture and Food, Qassim University, Buraydah, Saudi Arabia.
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly affected the physical activity (PA) levels and dietary habits of individuals, particularly children and adolescents in Saudi Arabia, owing to widespread closures and social distancing measures, including school closures.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the impact of distance learning (DL) on PA and dietary habits among public middle school girls during the pandemic. The Arab Teens Lifestyle Questionnaire (ATLS) was used to assess habitual PA, sedentary behavior, and dietary habits.
Cancer-related health behaviors during the COVID 19 pandemic in geographically diverse samples across the US.
BMC Cancer
January 2025
University of Virginia Comprehensive Cancer Center, Charlottesville, VA, 22903, USA.
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic involved business closures (e.g., gyms), social distancing policies, and prolonged stressful situations that may have impacted engagement in health behaviors.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF"After Cutting It, Things Have Never Remained the Same": A Qualitative Study of the Perspectives of Amputees and Their Caregivers.
Health Expect
February 2025
Department of Behavioural Sciences, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana.
Introduction: Physical and emotional loss from amputation and associated physical disability are associated with adverse physical and psychological experiences. However, little research, within the Ghanaian context, has focused on the impact of amputation on the well-being of amputees and their caregivers and the coping strategies they use to mitigate challenges experienced. Therefore, the present study explored the impact of amputation on the well-being of amputees and caregivers, and the coping strategies they employ to manage distress associated with amputation and caregiving.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIdentification of key risk areas and failure modes using the FMEA method for the prevention and control of major infectious diseases in a stomatology department.
BMC Oral Health
January 2025
Department of Stomatology, Taizhou Central Hospital (Taizhou University Hospital), Taizhou, Zhejiang, China.
Purpose: To perform risk assessment and analysis of potential infection during stomatology workflow in a hospital in the context of a major infectious disease outbreak, and to determine the key failure modes and measures to prevent and control infection.
Method: Following the Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) method based on the stomatology workflow, the opinions of 30 domain-experts in related fields were collected through questionnaires to determine all potential failure modes in the severity (S), occurrence (O), and detectability (D) dimensions. The group score was then integrated through the median method and the risk priority number (RPN) was obtained.
Structural and functional social support in UK military veterans during the COVID-19 pandemic and associations with mental health and wellbeing: a cross-sectional study.
BMC Public Health
January 2025
King's Centre for Military Health Research, King's College London, London, SE5 9RJ, UK.
Background: The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic led to the implementation of social distancing laws in the UK. This had several negative consequences on health, wellbeing and social functioning within the general population. Military veterans may have had unique experiences of social isolation during this time.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!