Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39367303›Full record

ArticleBMC infectious diseases2024

Impact of COVID-19 health precautions on asymptomatic Streptococcus pyogenes carriage in palestinian children: a pre- and post-pandemic study.

Ibrahim Amer Ghannam, Rana Mahmoud Maraqa, Duha Shokri Qawasmeh, Rania Khalil Alsous, Sakra Mohammad Abu Jaber, Iman Abd Almuti Ghatasha, Yahya Ibrahim Ghannam

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In one paragraph

Article in BMC infectious diseases, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Ibrahim Amer GhannamDepartment of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Health Professions, Al-Quds University, Abu Dis, Palestine. ighannam@staff.alquds.edu.
Rana Mahmoud MaraqaDepartment of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Health Professions, Al-Quds University, Abu Dis, Palestine.
Duha Shokri QawasmehDepartment of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Health Professions, Al-Quds University, Abu Dis, Palestine.
Rania Khalil AlsousDepartment of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Health Professions, Al-Quds University, Abu Dis, Palestine.
Sakra Mohammad Abu JaberDepartment of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Health Professions, Al-Quds University, Abu Dis, Palestine.
Iman Abd Almuti GhatashaDepartment of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Health Professions, Al-Quds University, Abu Dis, Palestine.
Yahya Ibrahim GhannamFaculty of Medicine, Al-Quds University, Abu Dis, Palestine.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundStreptococcus pyogenes (Group A Streptococcus, GAS) is a significant pathogen that causes diverse infections, ranging from pharyngitis to severe invasive diseases. Asymptomatic carriage in children is pivotal for transmission. The COVID-19 pandemic's health measures, including mask wearing and enhanced hand hygiene, likely influenced GAS transmission dynamics. This study evaluated the impact of these precautions on the prevalence of asymptomatic pharyngeal GAS carriage among schoolchildren in the southern West Bank, Palestine.

methodsThis cross-sectional study was conducted in two phases: pre-COVID-19 (November 2019-January 2020) and post-COVID-19 (November 2023-April 2024). Throat swabs were collected from 701 children (345 pre-COVID-19, 356 post-COVID-19) via cluster sampling. The samples were tested with the ABON Strep A rapid test and confirmed by culture. Sociodemographic, health, and household data were also collected. The statistical analyses included descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and binary logistic regression.

resultsThe prevalence of asymptomatic pharyngeal GAS carriage declined from 15.7% pre-COVID-19 to 10.4% post-COVID-19 (p = 0.038). Significant reductions were observed among urban residents (23.5-10.1%, p = 0.003) and those from medium socioeconomic backgrounds (16.0-9.1%, p = 0.008). Compared with urban residents, rural residents had lower GAS carriage rates (adjusted OR = 0.505, p = 0.023). Carriage rates also decreased among children with frequent sore throats (17.6-7.3%, p = 0.007) and those using private wells (52.5-14.9%, p < 0.001). Higher BMI was a significant risk factor (adjusted OR = 17.68, p < 0.001), whereas frequent tooth brushing (adjusted OR = 0.055, p < 0.001) and hand washing (adjusted OR = 0.367, p < 0.001) were protective factors.

conclusionsCOVID-19-related health precautions were correlated with a significant reduction in asymptomatic GAS carriage among Palestinian children. These findings suggest that public health measures, such as mask wearing and hand hygiene, can influence the transmission of respiratory pathogens. Ongoing surveillance and targeted interventions are essential for managing GAS infections, particularly in resource-limited settings.

Indexed as

Carrier StateCOVID-19Streptococcal InfectionsStreptococcus pyogenesAdolescentArabsAsymptomatic InfectionsChildChild, PreschoolCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHand HygieneHumansMaleMasksMiddle EastAsymptomatic GAS carriageCOVID-19 precautionsSchoolchildrenSouthern west bank, Palestine

Identifiers

PMID39367303
PMCPMC11451109

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.