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

Autor: Ibrahim Amer Ghannam, Rana Mahmoud Maraqa, Duha Shokri Qawasmeh, Rania Khalil Alsous, Sakra Mohammad Abu Jaber, Iman Abd Almuti Ghatasha, Yahya Ibrahim Ghannam
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2024
Předmět:
Zdroj: BMC Infectious Diseases, Vol 24, Iss 1, Pp 1-10 (2024)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 1471-2334
DOI: 10.1186/s12879-024-10023-w
Popis: Abstract Background Streptococcus 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. Methods This 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. Results The 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
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals
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