Paediatric varicella epidemiology in urban Beijing, China, 2014–2023
Data on the clinical epidemiology of varicella in Beijing, China, remain limited. Here, we present an analysis of paediatric varicella cases from 2014 to 2023, including 10,049 cases from two children's hospitals. A gradual decline in the number of varicella cases over this period, with a marked decrease in 2020 coinciding with non-pharmaceutical interventions implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic was observed. Notably, seasonal patterns of varicella incidence weakened after 2019. Although children under four years of age accounted for the majority of cases (57.5%), the proportion of adolescents (13-18 years) increased in 2023. Our findings underscore the need for broader vaccination coverage and enhanced laboratory diagnostics to achieve effective varicella control.
Authors
- Wei Su (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7516-1699)
- Dan Yu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3488-0467)
- Kaihu Yao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1548-8670)
- Lu Lu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2255-0391)
- Sheng Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0268-8593)
- Ying Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5340-0812)
- Miao Fan
- Qin Du (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2387-913X)
- Lin Ma (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2693-6486)
- Xinyu Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9602-698X)
Institutions
- Capital University (US)
- Capital Medical University (CN)
- Center for Children (US)
- Capital Institute of Pediatrics (CN)
- Beijing Children’s Hospital (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Emerging Microbes & Infections
- Published
- 2025-02-13
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1080/22221751.2025.2467773
- Citations
- 3
- Primary Topic
- Herpesvirus Infections and Treatments
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 4.06
Funders
- Capital Medical University
- Beijing Municipal Natural Science Foundation