Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is ubiquitous, affecting up to 50 % of children and 90 % of adults globally. This study aimed to investigate the epidemiological characteristics of EBV among children in Hangzhou from 2019 to 2023.

Methods

From January 2019 to December 2023, all children with suspected EBV-related diseases in Children’s Hospital were enrolled. EBV DNA detection and statistical analysis were conducted.

Results

A total of 26,592 children were enrolled, of which 2,148 (8.07 %) tested positive for EBV DNA. In comparison to those in the pre‐COVID‐19 period (2019) and during- COVID‐19 period (2020–2022), the prevalence of EBV‐positive children significantly increased to 788 (10.35 %) in post-COVID-19 period (2023) (p<0.001). There was a gender difference in the EBV‐positive rate, with 7.66 % (1,157/15,095) of males and 8.62 % (991/11,497) of females positive (p<0.05). The age distribution of EBV remained an apparent consistent trend from 2019 to 2023, with the peak positive rates all observed in children aged 3–6 years and the lowest in children aged 0–1 year. IM is the most common disease accounting for 50.74 %. Compared to IM, HLH had significantly higher EBV DNA loads, while respiratory infections, leukemia and AA had significantly lower loads (p<0.05).

Conclusions

This is a large sample and the first comprehensive assessment that reveals the epidemiological characteristics of EBV among children in Hangzhou across the pre-, during- and post-COVID-19 periods, which provide a deeper understanding of EBV epidemiology to inform prevention, diagnosis, and treatment strategies.

Keywords: Epstein‐Barr virus; child; epidemiology; COVID‐19

Full text:

Epidemiology characteristics of Epstein-Barr virus among children in Hangzhou from 2019 to 2023

Lin Chen , Shuangshuang Huang , Hao Wang , Fengqing Cai , Zhijian Song , Xiaoshuai Bao , Wei Li  und Hongqiang Shen