The Effect of Mask-Distance-Hygiene Measures on Non-COVID-19 Viral Upper Respiratory Tract Diseases

Year 2024, Volume: 5 Issue: 2, 73 - 77, 29.07.2024

Bilge Akgündüz , Anıl Uçan , Levent Özdemir

Abstract

Aim: This study aimed to investigate the effects of mask-distance and hand hygiene measures on non-COVID-19 viral upper respiratory tract infections during the pandemic period.
Methods: The study was designed as a cross-sectional survey study. Patients and their relatives presenting to the chest diseases outpatient clinic were asked by questionnaire about symptoms and signs of seasonal viral upper respiratory tract infections other than COVID-19 before the pandemic and during the first year of the pandemic.
Results: The mean age of the 322 participants was 44.5±15.4 years. Fifty-five percent (n: 177) of participants were women. One hundred thirty-three of the participants had no Upper Respiratory Tract Infection(URTI) history before and after the pandemic. In the pre-pandemic period, the rate of participants admitted to the hospital due to URTI was 1.28 times higher compared to the pandemic period. 34.8% of the participants had not had URTI before COVID-19. 19.6% of these cases had URTI during the pandemic period. The rate of those who had URTI before the pandemic was higher than those who had URTI after the pandemic, and this was statistically significant (p:0.001).
Conclusion: Mask wearing has a major impact on the spread of respiratory viral pathogens and disease prevention. Especially during the seasons when these pathogens occur, ensuring the continued use of mask-distance-hand hygiene rules during the post-pandemic period in the community is a simple and effective method of disease prevention.

Keywords

COVID-19, viral upper respiratory tract infections, hand hygiene, mask, distance

Maske-Mesafe-Hijyen Uygulamalarının COVID-19 Dışı Viral Üst Solunum Yolu Hastalıklarına Etkisi

Abstract

Amaç: Bu çalışmada pandemi döneminde uygulanan maske, mesafe ve el hijyeni uygulamalarının COVID-19 dışı üst solunum yolu viral enfeksiyonlarına etkisinin araştırılması amaçlanmıştır.
Yöntemler: Araştırma kesitsel anket araştırması olarak dizayn edildi. Göğüs hastalıkları kliniğine başvuran hasta ve hasta yakınlarına pandemi öncesi ve pandemi döneminde ilk bir yıl içerisinde COVID-19 dışı mevsimsel viral üst solunum yolu enfeksiyonu semptom ve bulgularının sorgulandığı bir anket uygulandı.
Bulgular: 322 katılımcının yaş ortalaması 44.5±15.4 idi. Katılımcıların %55’i (n: 177) kadındı. 133 katılımcı pandemi öncesi ve sonrası Üst Solunum Yolu Enfeksiyonu(ÜSYE) geçirmemişti. Pandemi öncesi dönemde, pandemi dönemine göre ÜSYE nedeniyle hastaneye başvuranların oranı 1.28 kat daha fazlaydı. Katılımcıların %34.8'i COVID-19 öncesi ÜSYE geçirmemişti. Bu olguların %19.6'sı pandemi döneminde ÜSYE geçirmişti. Pandemi öncesi ÜSYE geçirenlerin oranı pandemi sonrası ÜSYE geçirenlere göre daha yüksekti ve bu istatistiksel olarak anlamlıydı. (p:0.001).
Sonuç: Maske kullanımı solunumsal viral patojenlerin yayılmasında, hastalığın önlenmesinde etkili olmuştur. Özellikle bu patojenlerin görüldüğü mevsimlerde pandemi sonrasında da maske-mesafe-el hijyeni kurallarının toplumda uygulanmasının sürekliliğinin sağlanması hastalıkların önlenmesinde basit ve etkili yöntemlerdir

Keywords

COVID-19, viral üst solunum yolu enfeksiyon, maske, mesafe, el hijyen

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