Trends in Re-emerging Disease Outbreaks in India: A Comparative Analysis before and after the COVID-19 Pandemic

Dear Editor, In a previous study,[1] we documented the spatial and temporal distribution of infectious disease outbreaks in our country before and after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. We investigated five reemerging diseases: dengue, Japanese encephalitis (including acute encephalitis syndrome), cholera, typhoid, and diphtheria. While our paper provided valuable insights, limitations in space prevented us from presenting detailed temporal data. Our analysis revealed that outbreaks of acute encephalitis syndrome have either remained stable or shown marginal increases compared to the pre-COVID-19 period. Conversely, outbreaks of other infectious diseases have notably decreased during this time [Figure 1]. Notably, the period from July to September has consistently emerged as a critical time for infectious disease transmission.Figure 1: Time trends of selected re-emerging disease outbreaks, India, April 2018 to March 2022.The observed reduction in outbreaks raises questions about whether this trend reflects a genuine decline in incidence or is a consequence of deficiencies in our surveillance systems. Reports indicate a decline in the quality of national surveillance systems globally and in South Asia region.[2,3] It is imperative for our country to monitor outbreak patterns in the years ahead. Despite these uncertainties, it remains evident that the premonsoon season represents a crucial window for implementing preventive measures to curb these outbreaks. This underscores the importance of ongoing vigilance and proactive measures to safeguard public health. Financial support and sponsorship Nil. Conflicts of interest There are no conflicts of interest.