Comparing Hospital Admission for Seasonal Influenza and COVID-19 in Pediatric Department

Abstract

Children play a key role in spreading influenza, but the role of children in the spread of COVID‐19 is still a matter of debate. Seasonal influenza viruses infect 5–15% of the human population each year, resulting in 500,000 deaths worldwide. The outbreak of COVID-19 began in December 2019, corresponding to the influenza season. It is important for clinicians, Aimed to: distinguish COVID-19 from other respiratory infections, including influenza. Material and Methods: The study showed that the global number of respiratory influenza-related deaths was between 290,000 and 650,000 per year. the utilized the health databases of the Al Wahda Hospital, and Derna Utilizing Healthcare databases, conducted Between November 1, 2022, and February 28, 2023, All individuals with at least one hospital admission record between 2 days before and 10 days after a positive test result for COVID-19 or seasonal influenza. Result: A total of 171 patients aged 1 month to 13 years were enrolled in. The observed findings revealed that December was more prone to seasonal influenza and COVID-19 compared to other months. These findings are in agreement with the many works, that described simultaneous COVID-19 and influenza infections to be severe. It is worth noting that the outbreak of COVID-19 began in December 2019, which corresponds to the influenza season.  Conclusion: clinicians need to distinguish COVID-19 from other respiratory infections, including influenza.