Changing Trends of Respiratory Viruses in Hospitalized Children During and After the COVID-19 Emergency Phase in Yongin, South Korea (2020-22 vs. 2023-24).

ABSTRACT: The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) significantly disrupted the epidemiology of pediatric respiratory viruses. This study compared infection patterns among 3658 hospitalized children in South Korea during the pandemic (2020-2022) and the post-emergency phase (2023-2024), following the relaxation of mandatory NPIs. Of 4419 eligible tests, the most frequently detected viruses overall were rhinovirus/enterovirus (HRV/HEV) (27.9%), influenza (14.5%), and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV, 11.9%). The post-emergency phase was marked by a dramatic surge in influenza virus (IFV), which surged dramatically (5.5% → 28.2%), and a more than two-fold increase in adenovirus (ADV) (5.7% → 12.5%) (p < 0.001). (p < 0.001). Conversely, parainfluenza vir

SUBMITTER: Choi JS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12846629 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature