Why the study?
A decline in HFMD incidence during the COVID-19 pandemic suggested altered enterovirus transmission dynamics, prompting evaluation of the impact of non-pharmaceutical interventions in Japan.
Do COVID-19 non-pharmaceutical interventions reduce the transmission rate of HFMD-associated enteroviruses in Japan?
Population
Surveillance cases of HFMD EV-A71, CVA16, and CVA6 in Japan from January 2005 to December 2024
Comparison
COVID-19 pandemic period vs pre-pandemic levels
Design
Stochastic transmission modelling study using sentinel surveillance data
Key result
COVID-19 NPIs reduced transmission of HFMD enteroviruses in Japan by 7.86% for EV-A71, 12.0% for CVA16, and 20.1% for CVA6 from 2020-2022.
Authors
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NPIs may curb HFMD transmission; leaves open generalizability and need for prospective trials.
Do COVID-19 non-pharmaceutical interventions reduce the transmission rate of HFMD-associated enteroviruses in Japan?
COVID-19 non-pharmaceutical interventions significantly reduced the transmission of HFMD-related enteroviruses in Japan, with greater reductions seen in serotypes with higher transmissibility.
Yan et al. (2026) studied this question. COVID-19 NPIs reduced transmission of HFMD enteroviruses in Japan by 7.86% for EV-A71, 12.0% for CVA16, and 20.1% for CVA6 from 2020-2022.