'Even diseases that people no longer talk about can return', warns NHS Highland public health chief as he reflects on what Covid-19 has taught us – and what we must not forget
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COVID itself is new as is the word 'Covidiot' for someone risking infecting themselves and others, writes DR TIM ALLISON.
We have social distancing and social isolation which we used to have as individual words but not linked together.
Three years ago, most people would not have heard of a PCR test, but it is different now.
Novel phrases keep coming up and a new one for me this week is an undulating plateau. It might sound a bit like the name for a 1970s band, but undulating plateau is what people are calling the trend in the number of Covid cases.
Rates of infection have fallen considerably since their peak but have now levelled out or plateaued with some continued ups and downs or undulations.
It does appear that there is a gradual reduction in cases, but the falling is far slower than we would like, and the undulations mean that there may still be rises from one week to the next.
'It might sound a bit like the name for a 1970s' band, but undulating plateau is what people are calling the trend in the number of Covid cases' - Dr Tim Allison
While some words and phrases are new to us and would be strange to past generations, other words that were common in the past in Britain are hardly heard at all now outside history books and medical school. These words include measles, tetanus, diphtheria and polio. They are all diseases which have been practically eliminated by a combination of public health measures and vaccination.
They used to cause huge levels of illness and death, especially among children, but have now almost vanished. They have nearly disappeared, but they have not completely gone and although polio has almost been eradicated from the world there are still cases.
It is possible that these dreaded diseases could return, but only if we didn’t vaccinate our children against them. We continue to vaccinate children and we continue to keep them safe, even if few of use know much about the diseases.
'We are likely to be invited for one or more further Covid boosters later in the year and it is vital that we take up these opportunities and we remember that even diseases that people no longer talk about can return.'
Covid may be gradually retreating from our thoughts, in spite of the undulating plateau. We hear about changes to restrictions and guidance. But even when Covid falls from the headlines we still should be conscious of what we need to do to prevent further widespread infections.
Just like for the prevention of diseases from previous generations, we have the powerful tool of vaccination. We are likely to be invited for one or more further Covid boosters later in the year and it is vital that we take up these opportunities and we remember that even diseases that people no longer talk about can return.
Dr Tim Allison is NHS Highland’s director of public health and policy.
