Fight against COVID-19 but avoid disruption of services for other communicable diseases (CDs) and noncommunicable diseases (NCDs)

Abstract

COVID-19 has been a global and grave public health threat. The number of deaths from COVID-19 has already surpassed by far that of fatalities from the top three communicable diseases (CDs): human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV) infection, tuberculosis, and malaria. The toll from COVID-19 is also inevitably surpassing hepatitis toll by the beginning of 2021. Moreover, it should be noted that COVID-19 has seriously impacted health services for noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), such as diabetes, hypertension, cancers, and cardiovascular diseases. The most common reasons for the disruption of health services are cancellations of scheduled treatments, a paucity in public transport and a lack of staff due to reassignment of a number of health professionals to COVID-19 works. It's an utmost import that scientifically and practically innovative and rational ways and actions are taken, so that deaths due to the simple lack of essential services for various CDs and NCDs are prevented.

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; communicable diseases (CDs); noncommunicable diseases (NCDs).

Figure 1.

The number of deaths from COVID-19 surpassed by far that of fatalities from the top three communicable diseases (CDs): HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria. The death tolls due to HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria have been in decline over many years (Data are from WHO: Global health sector strategy on viral hepatitis 2016-2021. Global Burden of Disease and WHO/UNAIDS estimates: https://ihmeuw.org/3pms, http://ihmeuw.org/3pmt). The number of deaths due to all the viral hepatitis are in rise (https://ihmeuw.org/3pms, http://ihmeuw.org/3pmt); however, the COVID-19 toll is in a sharp rise and will surpass the hepatitis toll very soon, showing how grim the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 is to mankind (https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019; https://www.worldlifeexpectancy.com/world-rankings-total-deaths).

Figure 2.

A WHO survey reveals that COVID-19 has greatly disrupted health services for NCDs. A survey by WHO (May 2020), in which 155 countries participated, shows that the COVID-19 pandemic has badly disrupted health services for various NCDs such as diabetes, hypertension, cancers, and cardiovascular diseases. Various screening programs (e.g., for breast and cervical cancers) have also been suspended or postponed in > 50% of the nations (Data are from https://reliefweb.int/report/world/covid-19-significantly-impacts-health-services-noncommunicable-diseases).

Figure 3.

Sudden decrease in the number of serological HIV/AIDS testing in Japan in 2020. The number of serological HIV/AIDS testing had been plateaued counting 30,000 to 40,000 quarterly over the past 12 years; however, that number plunged into only 10,000 in the second quarter of 2020. (Data are from https://api-net.jfap.or.jp/status/japan/index.html)