Understanding the Effects of Respiratory Infections on children from Demographic Factors, Seasonal Patterns, and Post-COVID Pandemic Dynamics

Background and Aim: Children under five years pose an increased risk of respiratory illnesses all over the world.In the light of the COVID-19 pandemic, this study sought to ascertain the seasonal patterns, demographic relationships, and prevalence of respiratory infections in this susceptible group. Materials and Methods:In this cross-sectional study 927 samples were collected from children younger than five years old with respiratory illnesses from the North Indian Hospital between February 2022 and December 2023.The nasopharyngeal (NP) and oropharyngeal (OP) Swab samples were exposed to PCR analysis.Clinical, environmental, and demographic data were collected through interviews and medical records.GraphPad Prism and the chi-square test were used for the comparisons and statistical analysis. Results:The respiratory samples included 234 mono-infections and 27 co-infections, and males made up a higher proportion of cases than females.Lack of exclusive breastfeeding was linked to 71 mono-infections and 9 co-infections, whereas low birth weight was linked to 13 mono-infections and 21 co-infections.Higher infection rates were associated with environmental factors, including crowded houses and exposure to indoor air pollution (P=0.06;P=0.003).Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) was the most prevalent among the pathogens.The remaining 34 cases were co-infections.The most common combinations were RSV with rhinovirus, and rhinovirus with Haemophilus influenzae. Conclusion:Understanding the effects of respiratory illnesses on children after a pandemic necessitates considering a number of risk variables.These results highlight the significance of addressing socio-environmental parameters and implementing the comprehensive disease prevention and management strategies for the respiratory health of children.