Epidemiological characteristics of childhood infectious diseases at Qingyang maternal and child health care hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic and the post-pandemic period.

OBJECTIVE

To characterize the epidemiological patterns of childhood infectious diseases during and after the COVID-19 pandemic and to inform optimization of pediatric prevention and control strategies.

METHODS

A descriptive epidemiological analysis was conducted on reported infectious disease cases among children aged ≤14 years at Qingyang Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital. The pandemic period was defined as 2020-2022, and the post-pandemic period as 2023-2025. Proportions were compared using the chi-square test.

RESULTS

From 2020 to 2025, a total of 2,559 cases were reported, yielding an overall reporting rate of 5.28 per 1,000 outpatient visits. Only 53 cases (0.42‰) occurred during the pandemic period, whereas 2,506 cases (6.98‰) occurred post-pandemic. The annual reporting rate ranged from 0.37‰ in 2022 to 10.32‰ in 2025. The male-to-female ratio was 1.30:1. The proportion of cases aged ≤2 years increased from 33.96% during the pandemic to 46.89% post-pandemic, while the 7-14 year age group declined from 28.30% to 15.96%. Nearly all cases (98.94%) resided in Qingyang City. The disease spectrum shifted markedly: varicella (45.28%), pertussis (22.64%), and mumps (11.32%) predominated during the pandemic, whereas influenza (48.72%), other infectious diarrheal diseases (26.94%), and hand-foot-mouth disease (12.01%) dominated the post-pandemic period. Case counts for pertussis, diarrheal diseases, hand-foot-mouth disease, and varicella increased significantly across multiple age strata post-pandemic. Total medical expenditures reached ¥5,623,550.62, with 98.70% incurred post-pandemic; influenza [¥2,746,750.98 (RMB)] and other infectious diarrheal [¥2,455,076.20 (RMB)] constitute the primary economic burden.

CONCLUSION

The pediatric infectious disease spectrum underwent a substantial post-pandemic transformation, with influenza, diarrheal diseases, and hand-foot-mouth disease replacing varicella and pertussis as dominant conditions. Children aged ≤6 years emerged as the primary affected population. The high caseload and economic burden of influenza and diarrheal diseases underscore the need for strengthened surveillance, prioritized protection of younger children, optimized resource allocation, and refined vaccination strategies in the evolving epidemiological landscape.