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Changes in the Occurrence of Gastrointestinal Infections after COVID-19 in Korea
- Source :
- Journal of Korean Medical Science
- Publication Year :
- 2021
- Publisher :
- The Korean Academy of Medical Sciences, 2021.
-
Abstract
- Background After the global epidemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), lifestyle changes to curb the spread of COVID-19 (e.g., wearing a mask, hand washing, and social distancing) have also affected the outbreak of other infectious diseases. However, few studies have been conducted on whether the incidence of gastrointestinal infections has changed over the past year with COVID-19. In this study, we examined how the incidence of gastrointestinal infections has changed since COVID-19 outbreak through open data. Methods We summarized the data on the several viruses and bacteria that cause gastrointestinal infections from the open data of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency for 3 years from March 2018 to February 2021 (from Spring 2018 to Winter 2020). Moreover, we confirmed three most common legal gastrointestinal infectious pathogens from March 2016. Results From March 2020, when the COVID-19 epidemic was in full swing and social distancing and personal hygiene management were heavily emphasized, the incidence of infection from each virus was drastically decreased. The reduction rates compared to the averages of the last 2 years were as follows: total viruses 31.9%, norovirus 40.2%, group A rotavirus 31.8%, enteric adenovirus 13.4%, astrovirus 7.0%, and sapovirus 12.2%. Among bacterial pathogens, the infection rates of Campylobacter and Clostridium perfringens did not decrease but rather increased in some periods when compared to the average of the last two years. The incidence of nontyphoidal Salmonella, Staphylococcus aureus, or enteropathogenic Escherichia coli somewhat decreased but not significantly compared to the previous two years. Conclusion The incidence of infection from gastrointestinal viruses, which are mainly caused by the fecal-to-oral route and require direct contact among people, was significantly reduced, whereas the incidence of bacterial pathogens, which have food-mediated transmission as the main cause of infection, did not decrease significantly.<br />Graphical Abstract
- Subjects :
- Veterinary medicine
Gastrointestinal Diseases
medicine.disease_cause
Bacterial Infection
Astrovirus
03 medical and health sciences
0302 clinical medicine
Personal hygiene
Rotavirus
Republic of Korea
medicine
Humans
030212 general & internal medicine
Incidence Rate
biology
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
business.industry
Transmission (medicine)
SARS-CoV-2
Incidence (epidemiology)
Campylobacter
Incidence
Viral Infection
Outbreak
COVID-19
General Medicine
Bacterial Infections
biology.organism_classification
Colitis
Enteritis
Virus Diseases
Norovirus
Original Article
business
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 15986357 and 10118934
- Volume :
- 36
- Issue :
- 24
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Journal of Korean Medical Science
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....88b9e09c04568bfa791b599bdd44c780