Respiratory infections during the COVID-19 pandemic – what has changed?

During the global pandemic of the coronavirus infection COVID-19, the epidemiology of these viruses, as shown in the literature, has changed dramatically. In many countries, during normal peak seasons, there has been a significant decrease in the incidence of both influenza and other viral respiratory infections, primarily respiratory syncytial infection. The current situation calls for a revision of the traditional understanding that children are the main driver of seasonal upsurges in respiratory infections. The article summarizes lite-rature data demonstrating the role of the COVID-19 pandemic in changing the seasonality of respiratory viral infections – a decrease in the incidence during the period of anti-epidemic measures, followed by a sharp increase in the number of cases; shift of the peak of incidence to “atypical” months for the given hemisphere. Traditionally, the symptoms of acute respiratory viral infection (ARVI) are characterized by the development of fever-intoxication and catarrhal syndromes. The basis of the treatment of acute respiratory viral infections is non-specific etiotropic and symptomatic therapy recommended for specific symptoms. Since children in the vast majority of cases with ARVI develop such a worrying symptom for parents as fever, symptomatic treatment with the inclusion of paracetamol-based antipyretics is relevant.