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Early diagnosis of osteoarticular infections (OAI) in children and effective treatment prevents complications. The objective of this study was to evaluate effectiveness and safety of shortened intravenous antibiotic treatment of OAI. Incidence, diagnostics and pathogens of paediatric OAI were assessed.This retrospective study included all paediatric OAI admissions to The Children's Hospital Iceland in 2006-2020. The treatment was evaluated by dividing the study cohort into two groups. The simplified treatment group received intravenous antibiotics for less than 7 days. The longer intravenous group received intravenous antibiotics for a minimum of 7 days.In total, 205 cases of OAI were included: 106 osteomyelitis, 83 septic arthritis and 16 with both. Age standardised incidence was 17 per 100,000 children and decreased over the study period (p = 0.004). A pathogen was identified in 37% (75/205) of cases of which 65% (49/75) were Staphylococcus aureus and 12% (9/75) Kingella kingae. Simplified treatment was not associated with increased risk of complications.This study supports claims that simplified treatment for OAI is safe and effective. Further simplification of treatment might be viable. For uncertain reasons the incidence of OAI was decreasing in Iceland, predominantly in young children.

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a very common pathogen, causes variable disease severity. In addition to considerable clinical burden on children, their families and healthcare facilities, RSV infections in children also carry significant direct and indirect socioeconomic burden.We analyzed data from 5 consecutive RSV seasons (2015-2020) and used virologically confirmed RSV infections and age5 years as case definition. Clinical information was retrieved from electronic patient records. Costs were estimated by assuming an annual 30% attack rate and a combination of direct medical costs and calculations of societal costs of lost productivity.A total of 716 children younger than 5 years of age had confirmed RSV infection of which 254 needed hospitalizations, most of whom were previously healthy. The median length of admission was 3.6 days and 13 patients needed intensive care. The hospital admission incidence rate was 2.5/1000 children/year, but 9.1 for children younger than 1 years of age. The total annual cost of RSV was estimated at €4.3 million, of which 10% was direct healthcare costs.The clinical and socioeconomic disease burden of RSV in Iceland is substantial despite slightly lower hospital admission rates than other high-income countries. The prevention of RSV in young children, either through maternal or infant vaccination, has the potential to decrease both clinical and financial impact of the annual epidemics.

Children are less likely to acquire SARS-CoV-2 infections than adults and when infected, usually have milder disease. True infection and complication rates are, however, difficult to ascertain. In Iceland, a strict test, trace and isolate policy was maintained from the start of the pandemic and offers more accurate information of the number of truly infected children in a nationwide study.All children with positive PCR for SARS-CoV-2 infections from February 28, 2020 to August 31, 2021 were followed up through telephone consultations for at least 14 days and their symptoms were registered. Symptom severity and duration were categorized based on age groups and the source of infection was registered.A total of 1749 children were infected with SARS-CoV-2 in 3 waves of infections. All waves had similar disease severity whereas the incidence was 5-fold higher in the third wave (3.5 vs. 0.73/1000 children/month). No children had severe symptoms, 81 (4.6%) had moderate symptoms, 1287 (73.9%) had mild and 374 (21.5%) were asymptomatic. Symptoms from upper (n = 839, 48%) and lower respiratory tract (n = 744, 43%) were most common. Median duration of symptoms was 5 days and adolescents had a higher risk of prolonged duration [OR:1.84 (1.39-2.43)]. Nineteen (1.1%) children needed medical attention, but no child was hospitalized. The source of infection was a household member in 65% of cases.During the first 3 waves of the pandemic, SARS-CoV-2 infections in Icelandic children were mild and none were hospitalized. The most common symptoms were respiratory symptoms followed by fever, headache and tiredness. This study helps shed light on true complication rates of children with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection.