Explore the vast range of titles available.

Background Little RSV activity was observed during the first expected RSV season since the COVID‐19 pandemic. Multiple countries later experienced out‐of‐season RSV resurgences, yet their association with non‐pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) is unclear. This study aimed to describe the changes in RSV epidemiology during the COVID‐19 pandemic and to estimate the association between individual NPIs and the RSV resurgences. Methods RSV activity from Week (W)12‐2020 to W44‐2021 was compared with three pre‐pandemic seasons using RSV surveillance data from Brazil, Canada, Chile, France, Israel, Japan, South Africa, South Korea, Taiwan, the Netherlands and the United States. Changes in nine NPIs within 10 weeks before RSV resurgences were described. Associations between NPIs and RSV activity were assessed with linear mixed models. Adherence to NPIs was not taken into account. Results Average delay of the first RSV season during the COVID‐19 pandemic was 39 weeks (range: 13–88 weeks). Although the delay was <40 weeks in six countries, a missed RSV season was observed in Brazil, Chile, Japan, Canada and South Korea. School closures, workplace closures, and stay‐at‐home requirements were most commonly downgraded before an RSV resurgence. Reopening schools and lifting stay‐at‐home requirements were associated with increases of 1.31% (p = 0.04) and 2.27% (p = 0.06) in the deviation from expected RSV activity. Conclusion The first RSV season during the COVID‐19 pandemic was delayed in the 11 countries included. Reopening of schools was consistently associated with increased RSV activity. As NPIs were often changed concomitantly, the association between RSV activity and school closures may be partly attributed to other NPIs.

To determine if non‐pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) impacted on respiratory virus detections in Queensland, Australia, during the COVID‐19 pandemic year of 2020. We analysed weekly counts of influenza, human metapneumovirus, parainfluenza, respiratory syncytial virus, rhinovirus, and adenovirus available from a Queensland laboratory network for the year 2020. These were compared with averaged counts from 2015 to 2019. Overall, 686,199 tests were performed. The timing of NPI implementation was associated with a sharp and sustained decline in influenza, where during the typical annual influenza season (weeks 23–40) no cases were detected from 163,296 tests compared with an average of 26.1% (11,844/45,396) of tests positive in 2015–2019. Similar results were observed for human metapneumovirus and parainfluenza. Respiratory syncytial virus detections also declined but increased in weeks 48–52 (5.6%; 562/10,078) to exceed the 2015–2019 average (2.9%; 150/5,018). Rhinovirus detections increased after schools reopened, peaking in weeks 23–27 (57.4%; 36,228/63,115), exceeding the 2017–2019 detections during that period (21.9%; 8,365/38,072). NPIs implemented to control COVID‐19 were associated with altered frequency and proportions of respiratory virus detections. NPIs derived from influenza pandemic plans were associated with profound decreases in influenza detections during 2020.

INTRODUCTION The WW‐FINGERS network has demonstrated the efficacy of multidomain non‐pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) but left their real‐world implementation largely unexplored, prompting this study in Changxing County to identify key determinants and develop actionable strategies for community‐based delivery. METHODS An embedded mixed‐methods retrospective evaluation using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) was conducted. Data from 42 stakeholders across six communities were analyzed via a hybrid deductive‐inductive approach and coincidence analysis (CNA). Strategies were matched using the ERIC compendium and refined by a stakeholder panel. RESULTS We identified 202 determinants, revealing six core facilitator themes (e.g., policy–academia–community synergy) and six barrier themes(e.g., unsustainable funding). CNA delineated potential pathways. Three strategy bundles were finalized: Capacity Building, Collaborative Network Building, and an AI‐enabled digital platform. DISCUSSION This study provides a practical, theory‐informed framework for implementing complex NPIs, bridging the science‐to‐practice gap in dementia prevention. The AI‐enabled platform offers a forward‐looking approach for sustained delivery. Highlights This study provides the first systematic application of the updated Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) five‑step methodology (2025) to a community‑based multidomain non‑pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) implementation study using an embedded mixed‑methods design. Coincidence analysis (CNA) moves beyond isolated factor listings to identify exploratory configurational pathways across multiple CFIR domains. This approach illustrates the principle of equifinality in implementation outcomes, where different combinations of conditions are associated with successful real‑world delivery. A comprehensive implementation landscape of 202 determinants is mapped, systematically distilling six core facilitator themes and six core barrier themes. The analysis further delineates a distinctive “policy–academia–community” synergy alongside observed translation gaps between top‑down policy signals and frontline operational realities. Three actionable, multi‑level implementation strategy bundles are developed and stakeholder‑validated, including Capacity Building, Collaborative Network Building, and a CONSORT‑AI‑aligned AI/LLM‑enabled WeChat mini‑program (“Timi‑Cog”) designed to personalize care, enhance engagement, support sustainable delivery, and bridge the digital divide.

Background Low global influenza circulation was reported during the coronavirus‐19 pandemic. We explored relationships between non‐pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) and influenza in tropical Asian countries. Methods Using World Health Organization (WHO) surveillance data from 2015 to 2019 and the WHO shiny app, we constructed expected seasonal influenza epidemic curves from March 2020 to June 2021 and compared the timing, and average percent positivity with observed data. We used multivariate regression to test associations between ordinal NPI data (from the Oxford Stringency Index) 4 weeks before the expected 2020/21 epidemics and present adjusted incidence rate ratio (IRR) or relative proportion ratio (RPR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results Data from nine countries predicted 18 seasonal epidemics; seven were observed. Five started 6–24 weeks later, and all were 4–21 weeks shorter than expected. Five epidemics had lower maximum peak values (percent positivity), and all but one had lower average percent positivity than expected. All countries implemented NPIs. Each increased level of school closure reduced risk of an epidemic by 43% (IRR = 0.57, CI: 0.34, 0.95). Each increased level of canceling public events reduced the average percent positivity across the season by 44% (RPR = 0.56, CI: 0.39, 0.82) and each increased level in restricting internal movements reduced it by 41% (RPR = 0.59, CI: 0.36, 0.96). Other NPIs were not associated with changes. Conclusions Among nine countries, the 2020/21 seasonal epidemics were delayed, shorter, and less intense than expected. Although layered NPIs were difficult to tease apart, school closings, canceling public events, and restricting internal movements before influenza circulation seemed to reduce transmission.

Background During the COVID‐19 pandemic, atypical respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) circulation patterns emerged, with the occurrence of RSV activity outside the typical winter season. This study investigates the impact of COVID‐19 and associated non‐pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) on RSV seasonality. Methods The onset, offset and peak of RSV epidemics from 2018 to 2022 across 12 European countries were determined using the 3% positivity threshold method. A multilevel longitudinal logit regression model for proportions assessed the associations between five NPIs (school closures, mask use, workplace measures, public gathering restrictions and closure of public spaces) and RSV, utilising RSV surveillance data, two NPI databases (ECDC‐JRC and Oxford) and COVID‐19 surveillance data. Results Before 2020, consistent RSV seasonality patterns were observed, but the seasonal increase of RSV‐positive cases in winter remained absent during the COVID‐19 pandemic (2020–2022). Analysis revealed inconsistent associations between individual NPIs and RSV. The associations differed depending on the data source used (ECDC‐JRC or Oxford), not only in magnitude but also in the direction of the coefficients. Public gathering restrictions and closure of public spaces exhibited significant negative associations with RSV incidence. However, this was only observed when using surveillance data for the entire epidemiological year and not when only examining weeks with increased RSV activity. Conclusions This study highlights the need for standardised international data collection and procedures for infectious disease modelling, as varying NPI implementations, NPI registration and RSV surveillance across countries complicate the understanding of RSV dynamics during the pandemic. Caution is recommended when interpreting the effects of NPIs on RSV circulation.

Background Face masks have been recommended to reduce SARS‐CoV‐2 transmission. However, evidence of the individual benefit of face masks remains limited, including by vaccination status. Methods As part of the COVID‐19 Community Research Partnership cohort study, we performed a nested case–control analysis to assess the association between self‐reported consistent mask use during contact with others outside the household and subsequent odds of symptomatic SARS‐CoV‐2 infection (COVID‐19) during November 2020–October 2021. Using conditional logistic regression, we compared 359 case‐participants to 3544 control‐participants who were matched by date, adjusting for enrollment site, age group, sex, race/ethnicity, urban/rural county classification, and healthcare worker occupation. Results COVID‐19 was associated with not consistently wearing a mask (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.49; 95% confidence interval [CI] [1.14, 1.95]). Compared with persons ≥14 days after mRNA vaccination who also reported always wearing a mask, COVID‐19 was associated with being unvaccinated (aOR 5.94; 95% CI [3.04, 11.62]), not wearing a mask (aOR 1.62; 95% CI [1.07, 2.47]), or both unvaccinated and not wearing a mask (aOR 9.07; 95% CI [4.81, 17.09]). Conclusions Our findings indicate that consistent mask wearing can complement vaccination to reduce the risk of COVID‐19.

Background The COVID‐19 pandemic and associated non‐pharmaceutical interventions significantly altered the epidemiology of respiratory pathogens. This study aimed to evaluate the changes in the prevalence and distribution of respiratory pathogens among children with acute respiratory infections (ARIs) before and after the relaxation of COVID‐19 restrictions in Shenzhen, China. Methods This study enrolled hospitalized children with ARIs in Shenzhen Children's Hospital during the COVID‐19 epidemic and those post‐epidemic period. Demographic data of the patients enrolled were retrieved from the Shenzhen Children's Hospital electronic patient dossiers. Nasopharyngeal swabs were collected and detected for 11 pathogens, and epidemiological trends were analyzed by age, season, and pathogen distribution. Results A total of 40,174 children with ARIs were enrolled, including 14,816 during the COVID‐19 epidemic and 25,358 in the post‐epidemic period. Hospital admissions for ARIs increased by 71.2% in the post‐epidemic period. The median age of patients rose from 27 to 47 months. Pathogen detection rates increased significantly from 59.3% during epidemic period to 73.0% in post‐epidemic period (p < 0.001), with co‐detection (≥ 2 pathogens) rising from 10.5% to 21.2%. The dominant pathogens shifted from HRV, RSV, and HPIV during COVID‐19 epidemic to HRV, MP, and RSV in the post‐epidemic. Notably, MP detection rates surged from 1.69% to 20.87%, while RSV and HPIV peaks were replaced by MP and HMPV in winter. Conclusion The relaxation of COVID‐19 non‐pharmaceutical interventions led to a significant rebound in ARIs among children, with altered pathogen dominance and increased co‐detection.

Objective: This study aimed to explore the epidemiological trend and clinical characteristics of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection among inpatient children with lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) before and during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Methods: A retrospective study of inpatients with LRTI was conducted at the Department of Pulmonology, The Children's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine (Hangzhou, China) from January 2019 to December 2021. All respiratory specimens were tested for common respiratory pathogens. The clinical data in children with RSV-induced LRTI in the past three years were collected and analyzed. Results: A total of 11,290 patients were enrolled, and RSV positive cases were 402 (7.6%), 288 (9.6%), 415 (13.8%) in 2019, 2020, 2021, respectively, with a significant statistical difference of the RSV positive rate among the three groups (p < 0.001). Most patients were under 2-year old, especially under 1-year old, and the median age of patients was 4 months, 5 months, 6 months in 2019, 2020, 2021, respectively, with a tendency to increase in age. In terms of the seasonal distribution, most patients of LRTI with RSV infection were admitted in winter, while in 2021 compared with in 2019, the cases significantly reduced in winter and increased in autumn. From 2019 to 2021, there was an increase in autumn trend year by year. Conclusion: RSV infection was still an important cause of hospitalization in children with LRTI after the outbreak of COVID-19, and its proportion increased gradually. LRTI caused by RSV is still more common in infants under 1-year old, but there is a trend of increasing in older children. What deserves the attention of pediatricians and Center for Disease Control is that the incidence of RSV infection continues to rise in autumn, and the difference in seasonal distribution is narrowed. Keywords: respiratory syncytial virus, RSV, COVID-19, lower respiratory tract infection, non-pharmaceutical interventions

Background The COVID‐19 pandemic has reshaped the landscape of respiratory viral infections globally. This study examines these changes on Reunion Island, a French department in the southeastern Indian Ocean. Methods Retrospective data from 2017 to 2023, from over 24,000 samples collected across the hospital system, partner laboratories, and a network of sentinel physicians, were analyzed and correlated with the number of consultations at the hospital emergency department and with sentinel physicians for symptoms of acute respiratory infections (ARIs). The epidemiology of respiratory viruses was analyzed by comparing the pre‐ and post‐COVID‐19 periods to assess disruptions in seasonal patterns, changes in virus prevalence, and the affected age groups. Results Our database effectively captured the epidemiology of respiratory infections across the island, as demonstrated by its strong correlation with the number of consultations for ARI. Post‐COVID‐19, the influenza virus exhibited multiple epidemic waves within a single year, deviating from its traditional single annual peak and showing a significant decline in circulation from 2020 to 2023. The circulation of respiratory syncytial virus was also impacted post‐COVID‐19, with epidemics starting earlier and lasting longer compared with pre‐COVID‐19 years. Human rhinovirus circulated more prominently in the post‐COVID period, accounting for up to one‐third of positive cases, becoming the most prevalent respiratory virus (excluding SARS‐CoV‐2). Conclusions These findings suggest a notable impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic and associated NPIs on respiratory virus circulation on Reunion Island since mid‐2020. They underscore the complex interplay between viral interference, public health interventions, behavioral changes, and youth immunity, emphasizing the need for adaptable strategies in managing respiratory virus outbreaks in the post‐COVID‐19 era.