ArticleBMC pediatrics2026
Changes in pediatric pneumonia incidence and pathogen spectrum before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic: an eight-year inpatient data analysis from a tertiary hospital in Fujian, China.
Article in BMC pediatrics, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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Abstract
objectiveTo analyze the incidence and etiologic distribution of pediatric community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in Fujian Province, China, across the periods before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic from 2017 to 2024.
methodsWe retrospectively analyzed 2,878 hospitalized pediatric CAP cases from 2017 to 2024. Cases were grouped into pre-pandemic (2017-2019), mid-pandemic (2020-2022), and post-pandemic (2023-2024) periods, and compared epidemiological and etiological characteristics.
resultsThe overall pathogen positivity rate among children with pneumonia was 82.73%. In the pre-pandemic, mid-pandemic, and post-pandemic phases, the positivity rates were 88.22%, 68.90%, and 83.71%, respectively, with a statistically significant difference (P < 0.001). The predominant pathogens were Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP, 36.31%), influenza virus (Flu, 20.29%), and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV, 2.26%). During the pandemic period, the overall infection rate, MP infection rate, and co-infection rate decreased significantly, whereas the proportion of RSV infections increased. In the post-pandemic period, MP infection rates increased markedly, along with a significant rise in both MP mono-infection and MP + Flu co-infection. The overall co-infection rate was 19.04%. Among co-infections, the most frequent combinations were MP+FluB and MP+FluB+FluA. Patients with co-infection involving Flu and MP had a higher proportion of severe pneumonia, compared to those with pure viral co-infection (FluB+FluA).
conclusionThis single-center study suggests that COVID-19 control measures were associated with temporal shifts in the pathogen spectrum of childhood pneumonia. Notably, infection rates decreased markedly during the pandemic, but rebounded post-pandemic, characterized by a surge in MP and co-infections alongside a decline in RSV. These findings highlight the need for sustained surveillance to optimize prevention and treatment strategies in the post-pandemic era.
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