Prevalence of Respiratory Infections during the 2018-2020 Period in the Paediatric Population of Primary Care Centres in Central Catalonia.

ABSTRACT

Following the COVID-19 pandemic, policies such as social distancing, hand washing, and the use of masks were implemented, which could play an important role in the reduction of infectious diseases. An observational, descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted to observe the prevalence of respiratory infections in children under 15 years of age during the 2018-2020 period in Primary Care centres in Central Catalonia. In 2020, there was a 44.3% decrease in total consultations for respiratory infections compared to 2019. All respiratory infections exhibited a significant decrease except flu-like syndrome; children between the ages of 6 and 12 had the highest prevalence of flu-like syndrome (87.6%), and the SARS-CoV-2-19 infection was most frequent (4%) among those between the ages of 12 and 15. Compared to urban centres, rural centres presented a higher prevalence of all infections except flu-like syndrome and SARS-CoV-2. In conclusion, the COVID-19 pandemic caused a significant decrease in the number of consultations for respiratory infections in the paediatric population, except for flu-like syndrome, which increased in cases in January, February, and March 2020. No differences were found between sexes, although differences were found in the distribution of the different age groups.