According to a new study published in the BMJ, hospitalizations among children for all types of infections witnessed a sharp decline during the COVID-19 pandemic, with the greatest fall seen in flu-related hospitalizations.

Researchers assessed data from NHS hospitals for children admitted with infections defined by ICD-10 diagnostic codes, which included 19 diagnoses, such as severe invasive infections, respiratory infections, and vaccine-preventable diseases.

In comparison with the period from March 1, 2017 to February 29, 2020, influenza-related hospital admissions from March 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021 declined by 94% (95% CI 89-97%) among children 14 years of age and below, noted researchers. Measles-related hospitalizations dropped by 90% (95% CI 80-95%), while bronchiolitis-related hospitalizations declined by 82% (95% CI 79-84%).

Additionally, for vaccine-preventable diseases, mumps-associated hospitalizations declined by 53% (95% CI 32-68%), and among severe invasive infections, the most marked drop was in meningitis-related hospitalizations, decreasing by 50% (95% CI 47-52%)… (Medpage Today)