Epidemic trends and characteristics of notifiable infectious diseases in mainland China during the Covid-19

A nationwide surveillance study, 2020–2024

Bibliographic Data

ID19551013
AuthorsJingjuan Xu (0000-0002-0605-8962, Nanjing General Hospital of Nanjing Military Command), Yang Xu (0000-0003-3898-022X, Nanjing General Hospital of Nanjing Military Command), Zhenhua Dai (0000-0002-0363-4186, People’s Hospital of Rizhao), Zhenna Xu (People’s Hospital of Rizhao), Hui Cai (0000-0002-2388-1694, Nanjing General Hospital of Nanjing Military Command), Zhiming Zhao (0000-0002-6717-9418, Nanjing General Hospital of Nanjing Military Command), Wei Shang (0000-0001-6039-6041, Nanjing General Hospital of Nanjing Military Command), Yanqi Dang (0000-0002-0316-7880, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine)
Year2026
Volume16
Pages04118-04118
Publication date2026-04-10
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Global Health (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2047-2978 • E-ISSN: 2047-2986
PublisherInternational Society of Global Health (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.7189/jogh.16.04118
PMID41955568
OpenAlexW7152554756
LanguageEN
References cited35

Background: The implementation of COVID-19 control and prevention measures has significantly influenced the incidence rates of multiple notifiable infectious diseases. We aimed to investigate the epidemiological trends of notifiable infectious diseases in mainland China from 2020 to 2024, a period spanning both stringent interventions and their subsequent relaxation. Methods: We systematically analysed surveillance data from the National Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2020-2024). We excluded COVID-19, monkeypox, and neonatal tetanus to ensure methodological consistency and comparability. We classified the diseases into Class A, B, and C notifiable infectious diseases and further grouped them by transmission routes: intestinal, respiratory, sexually transmitted and blood-borne, vector-borne/zoonotic, and others. We focused on incidence rates, mortality rates, seasonal patterns, and trends to inform future prevention and control strategies. Results: Between 2020 and 2024, mainland China recorded 38 notifiable infectious diseases (excluding COVID-19, monkeypox, and neonatal tetanus). The average incidence rate was 734.8945/100 000, showing an upward trend. Class A notifiable infectious diseases were extremely rare, Class B encompassed 25 types and showed a rising trend with minimal seasonal variation, and Class C included 11 types. Class C notifiable infectious diseases incidence remained relatively low from 2020 to 2022, but rose sharply in 2023 after the relaxation of COVID-19 restrictions, maintaining elevated levels in 2024, with pronounced winter/spring peaks observed, especially in 2023-2024. Respiratory infectious diseases (RIDs) exhibited the highest incidence, while blood-borne and sexually transmitted infectious diseases accounted for over 90.35% of the deaths. Conclusions: In mainland China, strict COVID-19 measures between 2020 and 2022 significantly reduced the incidence of RIDs. However, after COVID-19 management was downgraded and restrictions were relaxed in early 2023, these diseases resurged, demonstrating a 'suppression-rebound' effect

China · Epidemiological surveillance · Mainland · Mainland China · Public health · COVID-19 epidemiological studies · Epidemiology · Respiratory viral infections research · Zoonotic diseases and public health

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