The Korean journal of internal medicine

The Korean Association of Internal Medicine (대한내과학회)
권호 표지
DOI QR코드

DOI QR Code

Clinical effects of non-pharmaceutical interventions for COVID-19 on other nationally notifiable infectious diseases in South Korea

  • Hyun-Jin Lee (Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Chung-Ang University College of Medicine) ;
  • Beom Seuk Hwang (Department of Applied Statistics, Chung-Ang University) ;
  • Seong Ho Im (Department of Applied Statistics, Chung-Ang University) ;
  • Seog-Kyun Mun (Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Chung-Ang University College of Medicine) ;
  • Munyoung Chang (Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Chung-Ang University College of Medicine)
  • Received : 2023.11.16
  • Accepted : 2024.05.02
  • Published : 2024.09.01
Download PDF
⟨ Previous Next ⟩

Abstract

Background/Aims: This study aimed to assess the impact of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic on nationally notifiable infectious diseases (NNIDs) in South Korea. Methods: Long-term data on seven NNIDs from 2018 to 2021 were analyzed to identify trends and change points using a change point detection technique. The timings of the NPI implementations were compared to the identified change points to determine their association. Results: Varicella, mumps, and scarlet fever showed a significant decrease in incidence following the implementation of NPIs during the COVID-19 pandemic. These diseases, which are primarily transmitted through respiratory droplets, demonstrated a clear response to NPIs. However, carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE) showed an increasing trend unrelated to the timing of NPI implementation, suggesting the complex nature of controlling healthcare-associated infections. Hepatitis A, hepatitis C, and scrub typhus did not show significant changes associated with NPIs, likely due to their non-respiratory route of transmission. Conclusions: NPIs effectively controlled NNIDs, particularly those transmitted through respiratory infections. However, the impact varied depending on the disease. Understanding the effectiveness and limitations of NPIs is crucial for developing comprehensive public health strategies during infectious disease outbreaks.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

This research was supported by the Chung-Ang University Research Grants in 2021.

References

  1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), infection control [Internet]. Atlanta, GA: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, c2017 [cited 2024 Jul 19]. Availble from: https://archive.cdc.gov/#/details?url=https://www.cdc.gov/sars/index.html.
  2. Bell D, Nicoll A, Fukuda K, et al. Non-pharmaceutical interventions for pandemic influenza, national and community measures. Emerg Infect Dis 2006;12:88-94.
  3. Torner N, Soldevila N, Garcia JJ, et al. Effectiveness of non-pharmaceutical measures in preventing pediatric influenza: a case-control study. BMC Public Health 2015;15:543.
  4. Gokmen Y, Baskici C, Ercil Y. Effects of non-pharmaceutical interventions against COVID-19: a cross-country analysis. Int J Health Plann Manage 2021;36:1178-1188.
  5. Sachs J, Schmidt-Traub G, Kroll C, Lafortune G, Fuller G, Woelm F. Sustainable development report 2020. Cambridge: Cambridege Books, 2021.
  6. Heymann DL, Shindo N. COVID-19: what is next for public health? Lancet 2020;395:542-545.
  7. Adegbija O, Walker J, Smoll N, Khan A, Graham J, Khandaker G. Notifiable diseases after implementation of COVID-19 public health prevention measures in Central Queensland, Australia. Commun Dis Intell (2018) 2021;45.
  8. Ullrich A, Schranz M, Rexroth U, et al. Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and associated non-pharmaceutical interventions on other notifiable infectious diseases in Germany: an analysis of national surveillance data during week 1-2016-week 32-2020. Lancet Reg Health Eur 2021;6:100103.
  9. Lai CC, Chen SY, Yen MY, Lee PI, Ko WC, Hsueh PR. The impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 epidemic on notifiable infectious diseases in Taiwan: a database analysis. Travel Med Infect Dis 2021;40:101997.
  10. Chen B, Wang M, Huang X, et al. Changes in incidence of notifiable infectious diseases in china under the prevention and control measures of COVID-19. Front Public Health 2021;9:728768.
  11. Geng MJ, Zhang HY, Yu LJ, et al. Changes in notifiable infectious disease incidence in China during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nat Commun 2021;12:6923.
  12. R Core Team. R: a language and environment for statistical computing [Internet]. Vienna: R Foundation for Statistical Computing, c2020 [cited 2024 Jul 19]. Available from: http://www.r-project.org/index.html.
  13. Geng Y, Zhang L. Impact of non-pharmaceutical interventions during COVID-19 pandemic on pertussis, scarlet fever and hand-foot-mouth disease in China. J Infect 2022;84:e13-e15.
  14. Kim DH, Nguyen TM, Kim JH. Infectious respiratory diseases decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2021;18:6008.
  15. Tan HMJ, Tan MS, Chang ZY, et al. The impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the health-seeking behaviour of an Asian population with acute respiratory infections in a densely populated community. BMC Public Health 2021;21:1196.
  16. Sun X, Xu Y, Zhu Y, Tang F. Impact of non-pharmaceutical interventions on the incidences of vaccine-preventable diseases during the COVID-19 pandemic in the eastern of China. Hum Vaccin Immunother 2021;17:4083-4089.
  17. Shah AP, Smolensky MH, Burau KD, Cech IM, Lai D. Seasonality of primarily childhood and young adult infectious diseases in the United States. Chronobiol Int 2006;23:1065-1082.
  18. Sabale U, Jarmale L, Murtagh J, Pawaskar M, Bencina G. Impact assessment of immunization and the COVID-19 pandemic on varicella across Europe using digital epidemiology methods: a descriptive study. PLoS One 2023;18:e0283465.
  19. O'Toole RF. The interface between COVID-19 and bacterial healthcare-associated infections. Clin Microbiol Infect 2021;27:1772-1776.
  20. Silva ARO, Salgado DR, Lopes LPN, Castanheira D, Emmerick ICM, Lima EC. Increased Use of antibiotics in the intensive care unit during coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in a Brazilian hospital. Front Pharmacol 2021;12:778386.
  21. Yamamoto N, Asada R, Kawahara R, et al. Prevalence of, and risk factors for, carriage of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae among hospitalized patients in Japan. J Hosp Infect 2017;97:212-217.
  22. OECD iLibrary. Hospital discharges and average length of stay [Internet]. OECD iLibrary, c2021 [cited 2024 Jul 19]. Available from: https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/social-issues-migration-health/health-at-a-glance-2021_18faaea9-en.
  23. La Y, Hong JY, Lee HS, et al. Increase of multidrug-resistant bacteria after the COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea: time-series analyses of a long-term multicenter cohort. J Infect 2022;85:702-769.
  24. Huh K, Jung J, Hong J, et al. Impact of nonpharmaceutical interventions on the incidence of respiratory infections during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak in Korea: a nationwide surveillance study. Clin Infect Dis 2021;72:e184-e191.
  25. KDCA. Epidemiological investigation of infectious diseases in Republic of Korea, annual report 2019. Osong: KDCA, 2021.
  26. Potasman I, Paz A, Odeh M. Infectious outbreaks associated with bivalve shellfish consumption: a worldwide perspective. Clin Infect Dis 2002;35:921-928.
  27. Maheshwari A, Ray S, Thuluvath PJ. Acute hepatitis C. Lancet 2008;372:321-332.