Changes in the incidence of notifiable infectious diseases before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic in Mainland China
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: BACKGROUND: Nonpharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) have positive effects on curbing the COVID-19 pandemic, but the spread of other infectious diseases remains unknown. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to explore the incidence of notifiable infectious diseases (NIDs) at different stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in Mainland China. METHODS: We extracted monthly cases of NIDs from the National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China from January 2020 to December 2023. The infections were classified as blood-borne/sexually transmitted diseases, intestinal diseases, zoonotic/insect-borne diseases and respiratory diseases. The Joinpoint regression model was used to quantify the temporal trends of NIDs by calculating annual percentage changes (APCs). RESULTS: There is a negative correlation between the national ridership of urban rail transit and the national COVID-19 cases. During the two emergency response periods from January 2020 to March 2020 and November 2022 to January 2023, 1,760,990 cases and 804,266 cases of 22 types of NIDs were reported nationwide, which decreased by 25.54% and 74.64% respectively compared with the same period in 2019. For different NIDs, respiratory diseases had the greatest reduction (85.99%), followed by intestinal diseases (48.94%), zoonotic/insect-borne diseases (34.22%), and blood-borne/sexually transmitted diseases (33.30%). CONCLUSIONS: It was found that strict containment measures decreased social mobility and reduced the number of most NID cases. However, with the weakening of NPIs, hand, foot, and mouth disease, epidemic hemorrhagic fever, influenza and pertussis cases notably increased. This study offers suggestions for preventing the spread of epidemics in extreme situations.
Source: BMC Infectious Diseases
Authors: Yue Yu, Liangliang Shen
Institution: Tongji University
Language: English
Subfield: Modeling and Simulation
Field: Mathematics
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,090
OpenAlex ID: W4417017770