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Objectives: We investigated whether non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) reduce winter-prevalent respiratory viral infections represented by a respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and influenza virus (IFV) during the winter in Korea. Methods: The Korean Influenza and Respiratory Virus Monitoring System database was used. From January 2016 through January 2021, the weekly positivity of respiratory viruses and the weekly number of hospitalizations with acute respiratory infections were collected. The NPI period was defined as February 2020–January 2021. We analyzed whether hospitalization and sample positivity by respiratory viruses changed after NPIs. Bayesian structural time–series models and Poisson analyses were used. Data from other countries/regions reporting positive rates of RSV and IFV were also investigated. Results: Compared with the pre-NPI period, the positive rates of RSV and IFV decreased significantly to 19% and 6%, and 23% and 6% of the predicted value. Also, hospitalization significantly decreased to 9% and 8%, and 10% and 5% of the predicted value. The positive rates of IFV in 14 countries during the NPI period were almost 0, whereas sporadic outbreaks of RSV occurred in some countries. Conclusions: No RSV and IFV winter epidemics were observed during the 2020–2021 season in Korea.

Objectives: Rotavirus (RV) genotypes vary geographically, and this can affect vaccine effectiveness (VE). This study investigated the genotype distribution of RV and explored VE before introducing the RV vaccine to the national immunization programme in Vietnam. Methods: This hospital-based surveillance study was conducted at Children’s Hospital 1, Ho Chi Minh City in 2013–2018. Stool samples and relevant data, including vaccination history, were collected from children aged

Objectives: We aimed to determine the incidence and relative risk (RR) of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) in patients with asplenia/hyposplenism, using a nationwide population-based database. Methods: From 2009 to 2018, all claimed cases of newly diagnosed asplenia/hyposplenism in the National Health Insurance Service in South Korea were included. The incidence and RR of IPD in asplenia/hyposplenism patients were investigated using the Korean Center for Disease Control criteria. Results: Fifty-seven IPD cases were identified among 21,376 patients with 82,748 person-years of exposure. The cumulative 8-year IPD incidence was 0.5%; 45.6% of the infections occurred within two years after an asplenia/hyposplenism diagnosis. The age-standardised incidence rate was 104.5 per 100,000 person-years (95% confidence interval [CI], 103.6–105.4). Patients aged