He coronavirus has made many other infectious diseases that previously threatened our health have been taken to the background thanks, in part, to security measures that have been taken to stop the infections by COVID-19. The hand hygiene, the use of a mask, the distance between people and confinements They have made them not only protect us against SARS-CoV-2 but also against other conditions.
The director of neurovirology at the Autonomous University of Madrid (UAM), Jose Antonio Lopez, has explained for ‘The sixth’: “These prevention measures prevent us from catching the rest of the viruses in circulation whose transmission mode is similar to that of the coronavirus, such as cathedral coronaviruses and non-coronavirus viruses.”
Six cases of flu in Spain
José Miguel Cisneros, Spokesperson for the Spanish society of infectious diseases, has spoken with ‘La Sexta’ about the flu (influenza), whose symptoms are similar to those of COVID-19: “To date, only six cases of influenza have been diagnosed in Spain, of which five have been due to the respiratory syncytial virus”, points out.
These data show that prevention measures keep us away not only from infections that are transmitted through the air, but also from those bacteria that are spread through contact.
Hepatitis A and B
Regarding the incidence of diseases such as hepatitis in Spain, experts point out for ‘La Sexta’ how it has gone from 1,041 cases of hepatitis A in 2019 compared to 241 in 2020. Refering to hepatitis B, cases have dropped from 570 in 2019 to 332 in 2020.
57.9% of tuberculosis patients
In diseases like tuberculosis The decrease in cases is also noted. It has gone from 2,211 patients in 2019 to 1,280 in 2020, 57.9% less of the patients. The same goes for the whooping cough, well it has gone from 2,867 cases in 2019 to 519 in 2020.
Gastroenteritis cases have fallen by 70%
But as we mentioned earlier, the measures have not only helped prevent respiratory diseases, but also other diseases such as digestive diseases. Cases of acute gastroenteritis have fallen in our country by 70% compared to the previous year (2019-2020).
For all this, experts point out that the use of masks or social distancing could stay with us longer than we expect, since thanks to them we are avoiding a multitude of diseases.
