Inadvertent Effects of COVID-19 Preventive Measures on Communicable Disease Incidence among Patients at Kabarak Health Centre, Nakuru County, Kenya

Abstract

Infectious diseases remain a major global health challenge, causing significant morbidity and mortality. The Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of implementing measures to control the spread of infectious diseases. While Covid-19 preventive measures were put in place to mitigate the impact of the pandemic, unintended outcomes were noted, including a reduction in the incidence of other communicable diseases. This study aimed to investigate whether the implementation of Covid-19 preventive measures led to a decrease in the incidence of other communicable diseases at the Kabarak Health Center in Nakuru county. The study utilized a retrospective chart review design, and patient records from the years 2019 and 2020 were reviewed. Cases of typhoid, shigellosis, amoebiasis, cholera, gastroenteritis, upper respiratory tract infections, tuberculosis, and pneumonia were analyzed. The study found that the total number of reported cases in 2019 was higher than in 2020 for each month. Gastroenteritis had the highest number of reported cases for each year, followed by amoebiasis, among gastrointestinal infections. Upper respiratory tract infections had the highest number of reported cases, followed by pneumonia among respiratory infections for each month. The highest number of cases for each year was recorded in the months of June and July. Overall, the implementation of Covid-19 preventive measures had a positive effect on the prevalence of other infectious diseases. In conclusion, the study findings suggest that the implementation of Covid-19 preventive measures had unintended positive outcomes in reducing the incidence of other communicable diseases. Therefore, it is recommended that health systems continue to prioritize measures to control the spread of infectious diseases, including implementing infection prevention and control measures and promoting hand hygiene, and vaccination programs. Additionally, it is important to monitor the incidence of other communicable diseases to ensure that the measures put in place to control Covid-19 do not lead to the neglect of other public health
concerns.