2019–2023年臺灣病毒性感染症合約實驗室之社區監測——腸病毒及呼吸道病毒流行概況

我國自1999年起於全臺成立病毒性感染症合約實驗室，建構我國社區重點病毒主動監測網絡，除了掌握社區重要病毒的流行情形，並致力提升實驗室對社區病毒監測與檢驗量能。本研究分析近五年（2019年至2023年10月底）合約實驗室對疑似呼吸道和腸病毒感染的收案、培養鑑定情形，並探究於新冠疫情期間，實施邊境封鎖等之防疫措施對社區病毒株監測的影響。監測結果顯示，疫情期間（2020–2022年）整體病毒陽性率均不及20%，與疫情前後相比呈現明顯下降。呼吸道病毒，包括流感病毒、腺病毒、副流感病毒，以及除鼻病毒外的腸病毒，於疫情期間整體陽性數皆明顯下降。然而單純疱疹病毒、呼吸道融合病毒及鼻病毒的感染陽性數並無明顯下降，後兩者更出現大量流行的現象。此結果顯示，新冠疫情改變社區病毒的流行情形，高強度防疫措施有效降低社區重點病毒的流行，但其消長也因病毒特性及個體免疫有所不同。本研究整理之監測結果可為未來因應高傳染力之新興病原的疫情防治策略提供參考依據。

To monitor the disease trends of circulating viruses in the community and improve laboratory testing capacity, Taiwan enrolled viral infectious disease contract laboratories to conduct community surveillance of circulating viruses in 1999. We analyzed surveillance data of respiratory viruses and enteroviruses monitored by contract laboratories from 2019 to October 2023 and explored the impact of control measures on community virus strain surveillance during the COVID-19 pandemic. We found that during the COVID-19 pandemic period (2020–2022), the overall virus positivity rate was less than 20%, showing a significant decrease compared with the rates before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the total number of infections by several respiratory viruses, including influenza virus, adenovirus, parainfluenza virus, and enterovirus (excluding rhinovirus), dropped significantly. Nevertheless, the number of infections by herpes simplex virus, respiratory syncytial virus, and rhinovirus did not decrease. Instead, the latter two showed an unexpected increase. These results indicated that the COVID-19 pandemic altered the trends of virus circulation in the community. Intense preventive measures effectively reduced virus circulation in the community, but the degree of reduction varied for different viruses and individuals. The surveillance results in this study may serve as a reference for future epidemic prevention and control strategies against emerging infectious diseases.