PEDIATRIC influenza hospitalizations shifted after the COVID-19 pandemic, with altered seasonality, virus type, and shorter stays.
Pediatric Influenza Patterns Across 2017–2025
Researchers reviewed records for 553 children aged 0–18 years who were hospitalized with laboratory-confirmed influenza at a pediatric infectious disease center in Bydgoszcz, Poland, from September 2017 to August 2025. The team compared epidemiology and clinical characteristics across three periods: pre-pandemic, pandemic, and post-pandemic. Analyses assessed seasonal timing, influenza type, demographics, and length of stay.
COVID-19 Pandemic Reshaped Pediatric Influenza Seasonality
Hospitalizations varied markedly by season, reaching a low in 2021/22 (18 admissions) and a high in 2024/25 (175 admissions). In the pre-pandemic and…