Striking Decrease of Enteroviral Meningitis in Children During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Larissa Stoffel, Philipp Agyeman, Kristina Keitel, Maria Teresa Barbani, Andrea Duppenthaler, Matthias Kopp, Christoph Aebi
Abstract
We report the unprecedented complete absence of pediatric enteroviral meningitis in 2020 in the area of Bern, Switzerland. Presumably an unintended effect of coronavirus disease 2019 public health measures, this finding highlights the potential of community-wide nonpharmaceutical interventions for controlling the circulation of a major pediatric pathogen, which is mainly transmitted by the fecal-oral route.
Topics & Concepts
MedicineCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)PandemicMeningitisVirology2019-20 coronavirus outbreakSevere acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)Viral meningitisPediatricsBacterial meningitisPathologyOutbreakInfectious disease (medical specialty)DiseaseViral Infections and Immunology ResearchSARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 ResearchViral gastroenteritis research and epidemiology