Prevalence of Endemic Respiratory Viruses During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Urban and Rural Malawi.
Open Forum Infect Dis
; 11(2): ofad643, 2024 Feb.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38312213
ABSTRACT
Background:
We investigated endemic respiratory virus circulation patterns in Malawi, where no lockdown was imposed, during the COVID-19 pandemic.Methods:
Within a prospective household cohort in urban and rural Malawi, adult participants provided upper respiratory tract (URT) samples at 4 time points between February 2021 and April 2022. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed for SARS-CoV-2, influenza, and other endemic respiratory viruses.Results:
1626 URT samples from 945 participants in 542 households were included. Overall, 7.6% (n = 123) samples were PCR- positive for >1 respiratory virus; SARS-CoV-2 (4.4%) and rhinovirus (2.0%) were most common. No influenza A virus was detected. Influenza B and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) were rare. Higher virus positivity were detected in the rural setting and at earlier time points. Coinfections were infrequent.Conclusions:
Endemic respiratory viruses circulated in the community in Malawi during the pandemic, though influenza and RSV were rarely detected. Distinct differences in virus positivity and demographics were observed between urban and rural cohorts.
Texto completo:
1
Bases de dados:
MEDLINE
Tipo de estudo:
Prevalence_studies
/
Risk_factors_studies
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Open Forum Infect Dis
Ano de publicação:
2024
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Reino Unido