Do you think social distancing will have a positive effect on other viruses?

[twosoups1972]

Just wondering if there have been lower rates of other viruses and bugs, coughs, colds, stomach bugs etc?

Is it possible some could be eradicated completely?

That’s a really interesting question. I hadn’t thought about this. Don’t know the answer.

I suppose social distancing is to slow the rate of Covid 19 infection, not to irradicate (not the right spelling, sorry) it. So the other bugs will be slowed but not removed.

I think it must be reducing rates of other viruses/bugs etc.

Nits must be at an all time low.

I read somewhere that if everyone gets their STD's sorted we could eradicate some of those!

Yes, nits will be low, but not gone, because some parents just dont get rid of them on their children. There will be lots of children who have probably had nits for the whole of lockdown.

I was hoping that the common cold might die out but someone on another thread assures me it won't. Pity.

Perhaps we should only allow children back to school with shaved heads?

Get rid of nits and also they'll be wipe clean.

One child at our school caught chicken pox the other week apparently!
He was quite poorly. :(

No. We have all had more (non-COVID) bugs during lockdown than the whole of the last 5 years. I think lockdown is bad for general immunity.

Where do you think you caught them from bath?

A virologist on the telly said that they are expecting "a dip" in other viruses. I'm hoping the increased hand washing will continue for longer than the lockdown!

@NuffSaidSam no idea. We haven't been anywhere other than supermarket and village shop but we are never usually ill and suddenly we were all on antibiotics for different infections.

I wondered if due to our immune system not having to do anything for weeks on end, it will loose condition, and be poorer fighting the bugs when lockdown over.

I too have had other viruses and so had my DD- Sickness and colds. Dont usually get ill. Haven’t been to work, school and only been to the small shop a couple of times and was careful. Apart from that not been near anyone so I really dont know where we got them from!?

Norovirus rates dipped significantly for about a year after the swine flu (H1N1) epidemic, before everyone went back to their old handwashing habits.

Anecdotally yes.