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Cho HY, Hung CH, Kao YW, Shia BC, Chen M. Impact of COVID-19 Preventative Measures on Otolaryngology in Taiwan: A Nationwide Study. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2023; 20:3371. [PMID: 36834066 PMCID: PMC9959067 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20043371] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2022] [Revised: 02/07/2023] [Accepted: 02/09/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Taiwan always had low case rates of COVID-19 compared with other countries due to its immediate control and preventive measures. However, the effects of its policies that started on 2020 for otolaryngology patients were unknown; therefore, the aim of this study was to analyze the nationwide database to know the impact of COVID-19 preventative measures on the diseases and cases of otolaryngology in 2020. METHOD A case-compared, retrospective, cohort database study using the nationwide database was collected from 2018 to 2020. All of the information from outpatients and unexpected inpatients with diagnoses, odds ratios, and correlation matrix was analyzed. RESULTS The number of outpatients decreased in 2020 compared to in 2018 and 2019. Thyroid disease and lacrimal system disorder increased in 2020 compared to 2019. There was no difference in carcinoma in situ, malignant neoplasm, cranial nerve disease, trauma, fracture, and burn/corrosion/frostbite within three years. There was a highly positive correlation between upper and lower airway infections. CONCLUSIONS COVID-19 preventative measures can change the numbers of otolaryngology cases and the distributions of the disease. Efficient redistribution of medical resources should be developed to ensure a more equitable response for the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hsiao-Yun Cho
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Fu Jen Catholic University Hospital, Fu Jen Catholic University, No. 69, Guizi Road, Taishan Distict, New Taipei City 24352, Taiwan
- Graduate Institute of Business Administration, College of Management, Fu Jen Catholic University, No. 510, Zhongzhen Road, Xinzhuang District, New Taipei City 24205, Taiwan
- School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Fu Jen Catholic University, New Taipei 24205, Taiwan
| | - Chia-Hung Hung
- Graduate Institute of Business Administration, College of Management, Fu Jen Catholic University, No. 510, Zhongzhen Road, Xinzhuang District, New Taipei City 24205, Taiwan
- School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Fu Jen Catholic University, New Taipei 24205, Taiwan
- Department of Orthopedics, Fu Jen Catholic University Hospital, Fu Jen Catholic University, New Taipei City 24352, Taiwan
| | - Yi-Wei Kao
- Artificial Intelligence Development Center, Fu Jen Catholic University, No. 510, Zhongzheng Road, Xinzhuang District, New Taipei City 24205, Taiwan
- Department of Applied Statistics and Information Science, Ming Chuan University, Taoyuan City 32462, Taiwan
| | - Ben-Chang Shia
- Graduate Institute of Business Administration, College of Management, Fu Jen Catholic University, No. 510, Zhongzhen Road, Xinzhuang District, New Taipei City 24205, Taiwan
- Artificial Intelligence Development Center, Fu Jen Catholic University, No. 510, Zhongzheng Road, Xinzhuang District, New Taipei City 24205, Taiwan
| | - Mingchih Chen
- Graduate Institute of Business Administration, College of Management, Fu Jen Catholic University, No. 510, Zhongzhen Road, Xinzhuang District, New Taipei City 24205, Taiwan
- Artificial Intelligence Development Center, Fu Jen Catholic University, No. 510, Zhongzheng Road, Xinzhuang District, New Taipei City 24205, Taiwan
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Khan S, Akbar SMF, Yahiro T, Mahtab MA, Kimitsuki K, Hashimoto T, Nishizono A. Dengue Infections during COVID-19 Period: Reflection of Reality or Elusive Data Due to Effect of Pandemic. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:ijerph191710768. [PMID: 36078486 PMCID: PMC9518125 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph191710768] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2022] [Revised: 08/23/2022] [Accepted: 08/23/2022] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
The outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) devastated the overall health management strategy of most countries. In this scenario, the present study provided insights into the possible impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on dengue infection. This ecological study retrieved data from WHO/Government reporting system from 22 major dengue epidemic countries. Incidence of dengue infections during the pre-COVID-19 time (2015~2019) and COVID-19 period (2020~2021) was compared. A correlation between the dengue and COVID-19 cases and predicted dengue incidence in 2022 was calculated using the linear regression equation. Data indicated that dengue incidences across the studied area decreased by 16% during the pandemic period (2.73 million vs. 2.29 million; p < 0.05) than the same reported in pre-COVID-19 time. Although countries in Latin America reported more cases than Asia, a positive correlation (r = 0.83) between dengue and COVID-19 cases was observed in Asia. Prediction analysis warned that specific preparation for dengue management is needed in some countries of both regions in 2022 to contain the upsurge in incidences. Due to the similar nature of symptoms of dengue and COVID-19, a state of confusion will be prevailing during the ongoing pandemic. Therefore, comprehensive and evidence-based scientific approaches were warranted at all levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sakirul Khan
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Oita University, Yufu 879-5593, Oita, Japan
- Correspondence: (S.K.); (A.N.); Tel.: +81-97-586-5712 (S.K. & A.N.); Fax: +81-97-586-5719 (S.K. & A.N.)
| | - Sheikh Mohammad Fazle Akbar
- Department of Gastroenterology and Metabology, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine, Toon 791-0295, Ehime, Japan
- Miyakawa Memorial Research Foundation, Tokyo 107-0062, Japan
| | - Takaaki Yahiro
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Oita University, Yufu 879-5593, Oita, Japan
- Research Center for Global and Local Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, Oita University, Yufu 879-5593, Oita, Japan
| | - Mamun Al Mahtab
- Division of Interventional Hepatology, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, Dhaka 1000, Bangladesh
| | - Kazunori Kimitsuki
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Oita University, Yufu 879-5593, Oita, Japan
| | - Takehiro Hashimoto
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Oita University, Yufu 879-5593, Oita, Japan
- Infection Control Center, Oita University Hospital, Yufu 879-5593, Oita, Japan
| | - Akira Nishizono
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Oita University, Yufu 879-5593, Oita, Japan
- Research Center for Global and Local Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, Oita University, Yufu 879-5593, Oita, Japan
- Correspondence: (S.K.); (A.N.); Tel.: +81-97-586-5712 (S.K. & A.N.); Fax: +81-97-586-5719 (S.K. & A.N.)
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The Collateral Effect of COVID-19 on the Epidemiology of Airborne/Droplet-Transmitted Notifiable Infectious Diseases in Taiwan. Antibiotics (Basel) 2022; 11:antibiotics11040478. [PMID: 35453229 PMCID: PMC9030657 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics11040478] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2022] [Revised: 03/31/2022] [Accepted: 04/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
This study was conducted to compare the number of cases of airborne/droplet-transmitted notifiable infectious disease (NID) between the pandemic period (defined as from January 2020 to December 2021) and the pre-pandemic period (defined as the period from January 2018 to December 2019). The annual case numbers of airborne/droplet-transmitted NIDs from 2018 to 2021 were collected for comparison. Fourteen airborne/droplet-transmitted NIDs including measles, rubella, pertussis, influenza with severe complications, invasive pneumococcal diseases (IPD), Q fever, mumps, meningococcal meningitis, varicella, legionellosis, invasive Haemophilus influenzae type b infection, hantavirus syndrome, TB, and multidrug-resistant TB (MDRTB), were included for the analysis. Overall, the annual case number of these 14 airborne/droplet-transmitted NID was 11,930, 12,747, 9477, and 8268 in 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021, respectively, and the overall incidence was 50.3, 53.6, 39.8, 34.6 per 100,000 populations in in 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021. The case number of influenza with severe complications had the largest reduction from the pre-pandemic period to the pandemic period, with a reduction of 3076 cases, followed by TB (−2904), IPD (−490), mumps (−292), measles (−292), pertussis (−57), MDRTB (−43), rubella (−35), Q fever (−20), varicella (−12), meningococcal meningitis (−5), invasive H. influenzae type B (−4). In contrast, the case number of legionellosis increased from 492 during the pre-pandemic period to 676 during the pandemic period. In addition, hantavirus syndrome also increased from zero cases during the pre-pandemic period to three during the pandemic period. In conclusion, the occurrence of most airborne/droplet-transmitted NIDs, including both domestic and imported cases in Taiwan, was lower during the pandemic period than during the pre-pandemic period.
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Sheng ZY, Li M, Yang R, Liu YH, Yin XX, Mao JR, Brown HE, Zhou HN, Wang PG, An J. COVID-19 prevention measures reduce dengue spread in Yunnan Province, China, but do not reduce established outbreak. Emerg Microbes Infect 2021; 11:240-249. [PMID: 34935597 PMCID: PMC8745368 DOI: 10.1080/22221751.2021.2022438] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic and measures against it provided a unique opportunity to understand the transmission of other infectious diseases and to evaluate the efficacy of COVID-19 prevention measures on them. Here we show a dengue epidemic in Yunnan, China, during the pandemic of COVID-19 was dramatically reduced compared to non-pandemic years and, importantly, spread was confined to only one city, Ruili. Three key features characterized this dengue outbreak: (i) the urban-to-suburban spread was efficiently blocked; (ii) the scale of epidemic in urban region was less affected; (iii) co-circulation of multiple strains was attenuated. These results suggested that countermeasures taken during COVID-19 pandemic are efficient to prevent dengue transmission between cities and from urban to suburban, as well to reduce the co-circulation of multiple serotypes or genotypes. Nevertheless, as revealed by the spatial analysis, once the dengue outbreak was established, its distribution was very stable and resistant to measures against COVID-19, implying the possibility to develop a precise prediction method.
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Affiliation(s)
- Z Y Sheng
- Department of Microbiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Capital Medical University, Beijing, PR China
| | - M Li
- Yunnan Provincial Key Laboratory of Vector-borne Disease Control and Research, Yunnan Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Simao Pu'er, Yunnan, PR China
| | - R Yang
- Yunnan Provincial Key Laboratory of Vector-borne Disease Control and Research, Yunnan Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Simao Pu'er, Yunnan, PR China
| | - Y H Liu
- Ruili Center of Disease Prevention and Control, Ruili, Yunnan, PR China
| | - X X Yin
- Ruili Center of Disease Prevention and Control, Ruili, Yunnan, PR China
| | - J R Mao
- Ruili People's Hospital, Ruili, Yunnan, PR China
| | - Heidi E Brown
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, College of Public Health, University of Arizona
| | - H N Zhou
- Yunnan Provincial Key Laboratory of Vector-borne Disease Control and Research, Yunnan Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Simao Pu'er, Yunnan, PR China
| | - P G Wang
- Department of Microbiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Capital Medical University, Beijing, PR China
| | - J An
- Department of Microbiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Capital Medical University, Beijing, PR China.,Center of Epilepsy, Beijing Institute for Brain Disorders, Beijing, China
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Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW Societal lockdowns in response to the COVID-19 pandemic have led to unprecedented disruption to daily life across the globe. A collateral effect of these lockdowns may be a change to transmission dynamics of a wide range of infectious diseases that are all highly dependent on rates of contact between humans. With timing, duration and intensity of lockdowns varying country-to-country, the wave of lockdowns in 2020 present a unique opportunity to observe how changes in human contact rates, disease control and surveillance affect dengue virus transmission in a global natural experiment. We explore the theoretical basis for the impact of lockdowns on dengue transmission and surveillance then summarise the current evidence base from country reports. RECENT FINDINGS We find considerable variation in the intensity of dengue epidemics reported so far in 2020 with some countries experiencing historic low levels of transmission while others are seeing record outbreaks. Despite many studies warning of the risks of lockdown for dengue transmission, few empirically quantify the impact and issues such as the specific timing of the lockdowns and multi-annual cycles of dengue are not accounted for. In the few studies where such issues have been accounted for, the impact of lockdowns on dengue appears to be limited. SUMMARY Studying the impact of lockdowns on dengue transmission is important both in how we deal with the immediate COVID-19 and dengue crisis, but also over the coming years in the post-pandemic recovery period. It is clear lockdowns have had very different impacts in different settings. Further analyses might ultimately allow this unique natural experiment to provide insights into how to better control dengue that will ultimately lead to better long-term control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oliver Brady
- Department of Disease Control, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London, UK
| | - Annelies Wilder-Smith
- Department of Disease Control, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London, UK
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