More than a dozen illnesses are surging globally after COVID

June 19, 2024

Around the world, people are experiencing a higher frequency of illnesses post-COVID. At least 13 communicable diseases have surpassed pre-pandemic levels, with some regions reporting resurgences more than ten times worse than baseline. Researchers are still unraveling the complex reasons behind the phenomenon.

Increased disease incidence: Communicable diseases, both viral and bacterial, are on the rise globally after the pandemic. Influenza cases in the U.S., for example, have surged about 40% in the two post-COVID flu seasons.

Factors at play: Baseline immunity levels shifted during COVID lockdowns, vaccine administration declined, and climate change and health-care strain contributed to the increase.

Uncharted territory: COVID-19 is the first major global pandemic in the modern medicine era, leaving researchers without a clear precedent for post-pandemic disease patterns. (Hong & Shrivastava, 2024)

To combat this increase in illnesses, experts recommend getting vaccinated against RSV for those who are eligible; staying updated on flu and COVID-19 shots, and practicing other lessons from the pandemic, like staying home when sick and wearing a mask on airplanes. (Sheikh, 2024)

Sources:

Hong, J. and Shrivastava, B. (2024, June 14). Bloomberg. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2024-06-14/why-is-everyone-getting-sick-behind-the-global-rise-in-rsv-flu-measles

Sheikh, K. (2023, December 15). New York Times. The Case of the Never-Ending Illness
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/15/well/covid-winter-sick-cold.html