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

• Published in: Global Health & Medicine Vol. 2; no. 6; pp. 343 - 345
• Main Author: Mitsuya, Hiroaki
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Japan National Center for Global Health and Medicine 31.12.2020
• Subjects: communicable diseases (CDs); COVID-19; noncommunicable diseases (NCDs); SARS-CoV-2; COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; communicable diseases (CDs); noncommunicable diseases (NCDs)
• ISSN: 2434-9186; 2434-9194; 2434-9194
• DOI: 10.35772/ghm.2020.01111

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.