KOZHIKODE: While the Covid-19 pandemic rages on, the reporting of a majority of communicable diseases, except dengue, has reported a decline between January and August this year. Moreover, the sale of antibiotics in the state has also dipped by 30 per cent.There have been fewer cases of air-borne diseases like tuberculosis (TB) and H1N1 and water-borne diseases such as diarrhoea and cholera, besides fever, during the period this year than the corresponding period last year. Two reasons are being cited for this.
The first is people’s hesitation in visiting hospitals due to the fear of the pandemic and the second is their adherence to Covid precautionary measures like wearing a mask and washing hands frequently, which has indirectly helped prevent the spread of other communicable diseases.
As per Directorate of Health Services (DHS) statistics, 61 H1N1 cases were reported between January and August this year, against 837 in the same period last year. TB cases reduced by 2,300 cases during the period this year. There were 1,92,427 cases of Acute Diarrhoeal Disease (ADD) between January and August this year against 3,89,231 in the same period last year.
Also, only two cases of cholera were reported this year till August, against six in the same period last year. Fever cases (OP) in the first eight months of 2020 came down to 9,18,998 in comparison to 19,02,528 cases (OP) reported in the same period last year.“It is true that Covid prevention methods followed by people led to a drop in cases of airborne diseases like TB and H1N1. The Covid preventive steps are almost the same for other airborne diseases,” said Dr A K Jayasree, professor and head, Community Medicine department, Pariyaram Medical College Hospital (MCH).
“While TB cases were not under reported due to Covid in places like Kannur, under-reporting of other communicable diseases is likely to occur as people would desist from going to hospitals fearing Covid,” Jayasree said.Wayanad DMO Dr R Renuka said, “Wearing masks and maintaining social distancing will protect everyone from infectious diseases. This is visible in hospitals. Washing hands frequently will not only keep away SARS-CoV-2 but also cholera and ADD.”Assistant professor in the General Medicine department of Kozhikode MCH Dr V K Shameer too said fewer cases of flu were reported this year owing to the precautions people took against Covid.
Dip in respiratory diseases
Kerala State Pharmacy Council vice-president T Satheeshan said there was a 30% dip in the sale of antibiotics in the state since Covid-19 struck. “Cases of respiratory diseases have come down significantly. Many doctors had also stopped seeing patients when the pandemic struck. Meanwhile, sale of lifestyle drugs has skyrocketed amid the pandemic,” he told TNIE.