India is a tropical country, and the prevalence of infectious diseases will always be there as they cannot be eradicated however, with necessary precautions and proper diagnosis, the diseases can be controlled.

The common health conditions that prevailed in the year 2022 can be essayed in phases wise as during the early months of January till March there were cases of corona infection.  During the middle phase of the year, the cases of dengue had a surge in the city, and further the cases of non-corona respiratory tract infections such as influenza, and regional infections were also noticed. Malaria also witnessed a spurt in the month of July & August.

Corona infection was ongoing since the year 2020 with a changing trend that can be counted on the mutation of the virus, lack of following covid protocols, opening up of offices & schools, and avoiding vaccination. On the other hand, dengue had a rise due to a lack of proper maintenance of the surroundings, as the lockdown was lifted people started moving out hence being exposed to various places where dengue mosquitoes were spread. Our climatic condition is also an added factor for the breeding ground for mosquitoes and the spread of dengue.  Respiratory diseases are mostly owing to pollution and some lifestyle factors such as smoking.

The most visible symptoms of corona seen this year were headache, mild fever, cough & cold, and stomach problems. Whereas, respiratory diseases mostly show signs of fever with persistent cough & cold and prolonged fever was the sign of dengue.

However diarrheal diseases in Kolkata were absent owing to the lockdown and avoidance of binge eating street food can be the main reason but in April-June people suffered from diarrhea due to a reduction in the number of cases of corona that resumed the consumption of street food again.

On the contrary, if we talk about lifestyle diseases like cardiac problems and cancer, there was no surge as they are static and the number of cases is almost similar every year.

School-going children, however without any specificity all the age groups were affected but the vulnerability was visible among the children this year as last year they were at home and sudden exposure when the schools opened had an impact on them and cases of covid infection and dengue both were visible in higher numbers among the children.

Treatment of any disease is always case-oriented and it can be symptomatic and supportive. Covid needs protective treatment, symptomatic and watching the complications is very important in every respiratory disease. Symptomatic management is best suited for dengue. The year 2022 noticed corona behaving like a true viral infection. While for diarrhea, ORS is the best help for all age groups.

About the author- Dr. Dipankar Sarkar, Consultant Internal Medicine & Critical Care Manipal Hospitals, Salt Lake, Kolkata