key: cord-0735840-2tpef19n
authors: Komiya, Kosaku; Yamasue, Mari; Takahashi, Osamu; Hiramatsu, Kazufumi; Kadota, Jun-ichi; Kato, Seiya
title: The COVID-19 pandemic and the true incidence of tuberculosis in Japan
date: 2020-07-07
journal: J Infect
DOI: 10.1016/j.jinf.2020.07.004
sha: a811b17cd3e7653339570e3db910d2b7229ad16f
doc_id: 735840
cord_uid: 2tpef19n

nan

A recent report in the present journal focused on the decreased incidence of tuberculosis during the COVID-19 pandemic in Taiwan. 1 A declining trend in influenza following the COVID-19 outbreak has already been indicated in Brazil, Singapore and Japan. [2] [3] [4] According to the Infectious Diseases Weekly Report Japan, 5 besides influenza, the incidences of Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia, respiratory syncytial virus infection, infectious gastroenteritis, epidemic keratoconjunctivitis and other droplet or contact transmission diseases are also markedly lower than those in the same periods in previous years.

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about lifestyle changes, including the encouragement of wearing masks, handwashing, maintaining social distance and suspension of mass gatherings. These prevention measures for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) transmission may have contributed to a decline in many types of infectious diseases. Lai et al. suggested that these interventions for infection control may also positively influence pulmonary tuberculosis. 1 However, whether or not the decline in tuberculosis incidence is actually due to these prevention measures, as with other respiratory infectious diseases, is unclear.

Tuberculosis can be pathologically divided into primary and secondary (reactivation)

tuberculosis. An increase in the numbers of elderly patients with newly diagnosed tuberculosis has been observed worldwide, and this disease typically develops as a result of reactivation of a latent tuberculosis infection a long time, usually several dozen years, after the initial tuberculosis infection. 6 As such, the infection control measures enacted to prevent SARS-CoV-2 transmission a short time after the COVID-19 outbreak are not expected to influence the trend in tuberculosis incidence.

In Japan, as seen in Taiwan 

None.

The COVID-19 Pandemic and Tuberculosis in Taiwan. The Journal of infection

Different patterns of Influenza A and B detected during early stages of COVID-19 in a university hospital in São Paulo, Brazil. The Journal of infection

Unintended Consequence: Influenza plunges with public health response to COVID-19 in Singapore. The Journal of infection

Seasonal Influenza Activity During the SARS-CoV-2 Outbreak in Japan

Ministry of Health LaW, Diseases NIoI

Tuberculosis in the global aging population

The authors thank Mr. Shinya Takano (SRL, Tokyo, Japan) for providing data.