Analysis of COVID-19 impact finds Listeria cases held steady
Researchers examining the impact of the COVI-19 pandemic revealed major differences between the way countries monitor infections.
The study highlighted the substantial differences in the transmission pathways, the monitoring, notification and detection methods, as well as the testing and sampling practices of certain diseases in six countries.
Despite these variations, the number of cases recorded for most of the five infections studied decreased during the pandemic from March 2020 to December 2021, with the exception of listeriosis, which suggests that health research behavior and access to health care played a role in the decline of diseases with softer symptoms.
Decline of travel and domestic infections
Scientists have described the impact of the pandemic using the number of cases of campylobacteriosis, salmonellosis, hepatitis A, shigellosis and listeriosis and informed listeriosis from the European Center for the Prevention and Control of Diseases (ECDC) between 2016 and 2021.
They compared the monthly median number of cases of a pre-countryic period from January 2016 to February 2020 to those of the pandemic. The results were published in the European Journal of Public Health.
The proportion of cases associated with travel has decreased mostly diseases in all countries, especially for campylobacteriosis and salmonellosis, probably due to travel restrictions. Declines have also been observed in the cases acquired at the national level.
In Norway, the proportion of campylobacteriosis and salmonellosis associated with travel decreased from 47% in 2016 to 2019 to 11% in 2020, and from 63% to 40%, respectively.
Pathogenic agent data and specific to the country
Campylobacteriose has caused the most infections, followed by salmonellosis and shigellosis. The Czech Republic had the greatest number of cases of campylobacteriosis and salmonellosis. This was followed by Sweden. The pandemic has probably influenced the declaration rates due to the reduction of travel and less of catering visits.
The lowest number of cases was reported for listeriosis, for which Sweden and the Netherlands represented the majority of infections.
In most countries, the notification rates of campylobacteriosis, salmonellosis, hepatitis A and shigellosis decreased in 2020 compared to previous years.
Listeriosis has not shown no common trend during the study period, probably due to the severity of the disease and the need for patients to receive medical care. In addition, infections have been mainly acquired at the national level via food that is mainly consumed at home and therefore less affected by travel and hospitality restrictions.
In Denmark, the notification rate of hepatitis A was higher in 2020 compared to the previous year due to an epidemic where the source was not identified. In addition, the notification rates of listeriosis in Greece and Norway were higher in 2020 than in 2019.
There has been an increase in the proportion of hospitalizations for the campylobacteriosis, salmonellosis and shigellosis in a few countries.
“Despite the differences in epidemiology, health care and surveillance systems, the levels of immunity and the rigor differences in COVID-19 measures within countries, the rates of notification of typically common foods and water-borne diseases have been reduced in most countries. The reasons for these declines are probably multifactorial and difficult to deactivate, “said the researchers.
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