{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,6]],"date-time":"2026-10-06T02:03:48Z","timestamp":1791252228261,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":19,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"18","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,9,10]],"date-time":"2021-09-10T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1631232000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["IJERPH"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Social distancing measures are used to reduce the spreading of COVID-19. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of local restrictions on the transmission of respiratory virus infections. Methods: we retrospectively analyzed the nasopharyngeal samples of all patients (0\u201318 years old) admitted with respiratory symptoms in a large Italian tertiary hospital during the last three seasons from 2018 to 2021. Results: A strong reduction in all viral respiratory infections was observed in the last season (2020\u20132021) compared to the two previous seasons (\u221279.69% and \u221280.66%, respectively). In particular, we found that during the epidemic period 2018\u20132019 and 2019\u20132020, the total number of Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) cases was, respectively 726 and 689, while in the last season a total of five cases was detected. In the first months of 2018\u20132019 and 2019\u20132020, the total flu infections were 240 and 354, respectively, while in the last season we did not detect any influenza virus. As other viruses, the presence of Rhinovirus declined, but to a lesser extent: a total of 488 cases were assessed compared to the 1030 and 1165 cases of the two previous respective epidemic seasons. Conclusions: Public health interventions and distancing (including continuous use of face masks) settled to counter the pandemic spread of COVID-19 had a macroscopic impact on all respiratory virus transmission and related diseases, with a partial exception of Rhinovirus. The absence of viruses\u2019 circulation could result in a lack of immunity and increased susceptibility to serious infections in the next seasons.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph18189550","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,9,10]],"date-time":"2021-09-10T10:31:34Z","timestamp":1631269894000},"page":"9550","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":88,"title":["The Disappearance of Respiratory Viruses in Children during the COVID-19 Pandemic"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"18","author":[{"given":"Anna Chiara","family":"Vittucci","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"General Pediatrics Unit, Pediatric Emergency and General Pediatrics Department, Bambino Ges\u00f9 Children\u2019s Hospital, IRCCS, 00165 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Livia","family":"Piccioni","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Unit of Microbiology and Diagnostic Immunology, Department of Diagnostic and Laboratory Medicine, Bambino Ges\u00f9 Children\u2019s Hospital, IRCCS, 00165 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Luana","family":"Coltella","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Unit of Microbiology and Diagnostic Immunology, Department of Diagnostic and Laboratory Medicine, Bambino Ges\u00f9 Children\u2019s Hospital, IRCCS, 00165 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Claudia","family":"Ciarlitto","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"General Pediatrics Unit, Pediatric Emergency and General Pediatrics Department, Bambino Ges\u00f9 Children\u2019s Hospital, IRCCS, 00165 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Livia","family":"Antilici","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"General Pediatrics Unit, Pediatric Emergency and General Pediatrics Department, Bambino Ges\u00f9 Children\u2019s Hospital, IRCCS, 00165 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5947-2414","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Elena","family":"Bozzola","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"General Pediatrics Unit, Pediatric Emergency and General Pediatrics Department, Bambino Ges\u00f9 Children\u2019s Hospital, IRCCS, 00165 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Fabio","family":"Midulla","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Maternal Infantile and Urological Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Paolo","family":"Palma","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinical Immunology and Vaccinology Unit, Academic Department of Pediatrics, Bambino Ges\u00f9 Children\u2019s Hospital, IRCCS, 00165 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Carlo Federico","family":"Perno","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Unit of Microbiology and Diagnostic Immunology, Department of Diagnostic and Laboratory Medicine, Bambino Ges\u00f9 Children\u2019s Hospital, IRCCS, 00165 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9120-0424","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Alberto","family":"Villani","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"General Pediatrics Unit, Pediatric Emergency and General Pediatrics Department, Bambino Ges\u00f9 Children\u2019s Hospital, IRCCS, 00165 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,9,10]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"996","DOI":"10.3390\/v7030996","article-title":"Identification of new respiratory viruses in the new millennium","volume":"7","author":"Berry","year":"2015","journal-title":"Viruses"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"22","DOI":"10.1186\/1824-7288-39-22","article-title":"Virological and clinical characterizations of respiratory infections in hospitalized children","volume":"39","author":"Bicer","year":"2013","journal-title":"Ital. J. Pediatr."},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"225","DOI":"10.1136\/adc.79.3.225","article-title":"Systematic review of the treatment of upper respiratory tract infection","volume":"79","author":"Fahey","year":"1998","journal-title":"Arch. Dis. Child."},{"key":"ref_4","unstructured":"Ghebreyesus, T.A. (2020, May 08). WHO Director-General\u2019s Opening Remarks at the Media Briefing on COVID-19\u201411 March 2020. Available online: https:\/\/www.who.int\/dg\/speeches\/detail\/who-director-general-s-opening-remarks-at-themedia-briefing-on-COVID-19---11-march-2020."},{"key":"ref_5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Matera, L., Nenna, R., Rizzo, V., Ardenti Morini, F., Banderali, G., Calvani, M., Calvi, M., Cozzi, G., Fabiani, E., and Falsaperla, R. (2020). SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic Impact on Pediatric Emergency Rooms: A Multicenter Study. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health, 17.","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph17238753"},{"key":"ref_6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"21","DOI":"10.1186\/s13052-021-00976-y","article-title":"Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Emergency Department of a tertiary children\u2019s hospital","volume":"47","author":"Raucci","year":"2021","journal-title":"Ital. J. Pediatr."},{"key":"ref_7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"676","DOI":"10.1038\/s41591-020-0843-2","article-title":"Respiratory virus shedding in exhaled breath and efficacy of face masks","volume":"26","author":"Leung","year":"2020","journal-title":"Nat. Med."},{"key":"ref_8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e279","DOI":"10.1016\/S2468-2667(20)30090-6","article-title":"Impact assessment of non-pharmaceutical interventions against coronavirus disease 2019 and influenza in Hong Kong: An observational study","volume":"5","author":"Cowling","year":"2020","journal-title":"Lancet Public Health"},{"key":"ref_9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e423","DOI":"10.1097\/INF.0000000000002845","article-title":"Effect of Social Distancing Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Incidence of Viral Respiratory Tract Infections in Children in Finland During Early 2020","volume":"39","author":"Kuitunen","year":"2020","journal-title":"Pediatr. Infect. Dis. J."},{"key":"ref_10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2199","DOI":"10.1093\/cid\/ciaa1475","article-title":"Impact of Coronavirus Disease 2019 Public Health Measures on Detections of Influenza and Respiratory Syncytial Virus in Children During the 2020 Australian Winter","volume":"72","author":"Yeoh","year":"2021","journal-title":"Clin. Infect. Dis."},{"key":"ref_11","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2071","DOI":"10.1093\/cid\/ciaa1458","article-title":"Early impact of social distancing in response to coronavirus disease 2019 on hospitalizations for acute bronchiolitis in infants in Brazil","volume":"72","author":"Friedrich","year":"2021","journal-title":"Clin. Infect. Dis."},{"key":"ref_12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1969","DOI":"10.1007\/s00431-021-03968-6","article-title":"Bronchiolitis in COVID-19 times: A nearly absent disease?","volume":"180","author":"Poschet","year":"2021","journal-title":"Eur. J. Pediatr."},{"key":"ref_13","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Foley, D.A., Yeoh, D.K., Minney-Smith, C.A., Martin, A.C., Mace, A.O., Sikazwe, C.T., Le, H., Levy, A., Moore, H.C., and Blyth, C.C. (2021). The Interseasonal Resurgence of Respiratory Syncytial Virus in Australian Children Following the Reduction of Coronavirus Disease 2019-Related Public Health Measures. Clin. Infect. Dis., ciaa1906.","DOI":"10.1093\/cid\/ciaa1906"},{"key":"ref_14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"76","DOI":"10.1002\/iid3.381","article-title":"Rhinovirus remains prevalent in school teenagers during fight against COVID-19 pandemic","volume":"9","author":"Wu","year":"2021","journal-title":"Immun. Inflamm. Dis."},{"key":"ref_15","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"488","DOI":"10.1111\/irv.12854","article-title":"Increased risk of rhinovirus infection in children during the coronavirus disease-19 pandemic","volume":"15","author":"Takashita","year":"2021","journal-title":"Influenza Other Respir. Viruses"},{"key":"ref_16","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"543","DOI":"10.1002\/jmv.23222","article-title":"Single treatment with ethanol hand rub is ineffective against human rhinovirus\u2013hand washing with soap and water removes the virus efficiently","volume":"84","author":"Korpela","year":"2012","journal-title":"J. Med. Virol."},{"key":"ref_17","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1606","DOI":"10.1002\/jmv.20956","article-title":"Environmental contamination with rhinovirus and transfer to fingers of healthy individuals by daily life activity","volume":"79","author":"Winther","year":"2007","journal-title":"J. Med. Virol."},{"key":"ref_18","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Milton, D.K., Fabian, M.P., Cowling, B.J., Grantham, M.L., and McDevitt, J.J. (2013). Influenza virus aerosols in human exhaled breath: Particle size, culturability, and effect of surgical masks. PLoS Pathog., 9.","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.ppat.1003205"},{"key":"ref_19","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"23","DOI":"10.1186\/s13052-021-00978-w","article-title":"School in Italy: A safe place for children and adolescents","volume":"47","author":"Villani","year":"2021","journal-title":"Ital. J. Pediatr."}],"container-title":["International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/1660-4601\/18\/18\/9550\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,11]],"date-time":"2025-10-11T07:00:20Z","timestamp":1760166020000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/1660-4601\/18\/18\/9550"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2021,9,10]]},"references-count":19,"journal-issue":{"issue":"18","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,9]]}},"alternative-id":["ijerph18189550"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/ijerph18189550","relation":{},"ISSN":["1660-4601"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1660-4601","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2021,9,10]]}}}