Why is Everyone Sicker Since Covid?

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It is not your imagination. Since Covid at least 13 communicable diseases are surpassing pre-pandemic levels. The reality is that everyone, everywhere, really is sick a lot more often. In the US, comeback diseases and influenza have increased about 40% during the two recent flu seasons. In China, whooping cough cases have climbed by 45 times in the first four months compared with the previous year.  

These diseases range from the common cold to measles to tuberculosis, are surging past 2020 instances in many regions according to analysis by Bloomberg News and London-based disease forecasting firm Airfinity Ltd. Their research is based on data samples from more than 60 organizations and public health agencies, shows that 44 countries and territories that have reported at least one infectious disease resurgence that is nearly ten times worse than the pre-pandemic baseline.  

Why are People Sicker?  

 The post-Covid global surge includes viral and bacterial, common, and historically rare — is a mystery that researchers and scientists are still trying to definitively explain. One piece of the puzzle is that Covid lockdowns shifted baseline immunities, and another is the impact on vaccinations. Added to this combination is climate change, rising social inequality and worn health-care services are contributing but are not easy to measure.   

Another is the theory of immunity debt might be part of the explanation for the uptick in illness since Covid. During the pandemic lockdowns an artificial layer of insulation from routine pathogens left people more vulnerable when the world reopened. Making it worse for young kids whose brand- new immune systems were cosseted by social distancing policies.  

The spikes in preventable illnesses, like measles, polio and pertussis are easier to understand — missed routine vaccinations. During the pandemic vaccination rates decreased, with supply chains were disrupted, resources diverted, and immunization services limited by lockdowns. In 2021 about 25 million children (about the population of Texas) missed at least one dose of the three-shot diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis vaccines. The percentage of children who received all the three doses of this vaccine dropped to 81%, the lowest level in 13 years. According to the UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund) Executive Director Catherine Russell called it “a red alert for child health” in July 2022. “The consequences will be measured in lives.”   

In case you have noticed people seem to be sicker than before the pandemic, you are correct. One way to stay on top of your own health is regular temperature checks, ideally twice daily, help track fever patterns and effectiveness of treatments. Using an easy-to-use, accurate thermometer like the Exergen Temporal Artery Thermometer ensures that temperature measurements are reliable and precise. This aids in making informed medical decisions.  

Sources:   

EXERGEN P/N, 850191, rev 1