Effects of public health interventions and zero COVID policy on paediatric diseases: A Southern China study

Background With the spread of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARSCoV-2) pandemic in schools and communities, clinical evidence is needed to determine the impact of the pandemic and public health interventions under the zero coronavirus disease policy on the occurrence of common infectious diseases and non-infectious diseases among children. Methods The current study was designed to analyse the occurrence of common infectious diseases before and after the pandemic outbreak in southern China. Data was obtained for 1 801 728 patients admitted into children's hospitals in Guangzhou between January 2017 and July 2022. Regression analysis was performed for data analysis. Results The annual occurrence of common paediatric infectious diseases remarkably decreased after the pandemic compared to the baseline before the pandemic and the monthly occurrence. Cases per month of common paediatric infectious diseases were significantly lower in five periods during the local outbreak when enhanced public health measures were in place. Cases of acute non-infectious diseases such as bone fractures were not reduced. Non -pharmaceutical interventions decreased annual and monthly cases of paediatric respiratory and intestinal infections during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, especially when enhanced public health interventions were in place. Conclusions Our findings provide clinical evidence that public health interventions under the dynamic zero COVID policy in the past three years had significant impacts on the occurrence of common respiratory and intestinal infectious diseases among children and adolescents but little impact on reducing non-infectious diseases such as leukaemia and bone fracture.