Prevalence of Acute Respiratory Infections Pre-, During, and Post-COVID-19 Pandemic Period Among the Pediatric Population in the United Arab Emirates: A Retrospective Observational Study.

INTRODUCTION

Acute respiratory infections (ARIs) represent a significant burden among children globally. The COVID-19 pandemic and its associated public health measures disrupted the transmission and detection of common respiratory pathogens. Yet, little is known about how these parameters have changed in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

OBJECTIVES

This study aims to describe the prevalence, causative pathogens, and seasonal patterns of pediatric ARIs in the UAE during the pre-, during, and post-COVID-19 pandemic periods.

METHODS

This retrospective observational study included pediatric patients, aged 0-18 years, diagnosed with ARIs across one hospital network between 2019 and 2024. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 26.0 and compared across three distinct time periods.

RESULTS

A total of 20,976 cases were included in the analysis. Of these, 11,248 (53.6%) were male, with a median age of 5 (IQR = 2,9). Overall, the most frequently detected pathogens were Human Rhinovirus/Enterovirus (34.6%), COVID-19 (22.6%), and Influenza A (14.8%). Seasonal peaks of all pathogens except Adenovirus became less pronounced after the pandemic, with reduced quarter-to-quarter variability in detection rates rather than a single dominant seasonal peak. We observed a shift in the peak of Human Rhinovirus/Enterovirus, from Q1 pre-pandemic to Q4 post-pandemic.

CONCLUSIONS

Pediatric ARI patterns in the UAE changed during the COVID-19 pandemic, with an increase in cases after 2021 and a shift in seasonality for many common causative pathogens. COVID-19 was predominant during the pandemic, yet Human Rhinovirus/Enterovirus remained the most common pathogen overall.