NewsDesk @bactiman63

In 2021, fewer cases of the notifiable infectious diseases were reported than before the pandemic, but the difference was not as large as it was in 2020. A summary of the epidemiological annual report for 2021 shows, among other things, that food-borne diseases, such as campylobacter and salmonella, increased slightly compared with 2020 but the number of cases was still fewer than before the pandemic.

Stockholm
Sweden/CIA

During the winter season 2021-2022, however, an early and extensive spread of influenza and RSV was seen, in contrast to the 2020-2021 season, which was characterized by consistently very low levels.

There is probably an effect of the infection control measures against covid-19 and changed behaviors, but the connections are complex. We will see an increase in the infectious diseases when people meet more and more and more people travel abroad, says state epidemiologist Anders Lindblom.

The report also shows that the decrease in tick-borne disease TBE seen in 2020 was followed by a sharp increase in 2021, and confirms the increasing trend observed in recent years.

For the sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections, the development was mixed where, for example, hepatitis C increased while chlamydia decreased in 2021 compared with 2020.

The number of cases of infections caused by the antibiotic-resistant bacteria ESBL and MRSA decreased compared to 2020. For invasive group A streptococci, halving was seen in 2021 compared to 2020 and the number of cases has thus decreased by 80 percent compared to the year before the pandemic.