Study: Lower influenza prevalence linked with Covid public health measures in China

Decreased influenza prevalence may be associated with long-term public health measures against COVID-19 in China, according to a study.

The research, published in the journal Health Data Science, provides preliminary evidence of the long-term relationship between prevention and control measures and influenza transmission in China during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Influenza is an acute respiratory infectious disease that can impose a high burden and lead to severe seasonal epidemics or even pandemics.

However, a marked decrease in influenza activity was registered in Japan and the US, among other regions in the Northern Hemisphere, in early 2020, the researchers said.

Australia, Chile, and other areas in the Southern Hemisphere shared this observation during their influenza season in 2020, they said.