Public Health Authority: An increase in infectious diseases in 2022

health

The number of cases of many infectious diseases increased in 2022 and is now approaching the same levels as before the pandemic. This is evidenced by a new summary of notifiable infectious diseases for the year 2022 in Sweden.

In 2022, the number of reported cases of many infectious diseases increased compared to 2021, which was particularly evident during the fall and winter of 2022.

Many fell ill

This increase is believed to be due to the gradual return of contacts between people and travelers to levels similar to those before the pandemic. However, the total number of cases remained lower for many diseases than it was before the pandemic.

– During the month of December, the spread of the Coronavirus and influenza coincided with the RS virus, which made many people sick. The population’s immunity against many infectious diseases likely decreased during the pandemic, which means more people are vulnerable to infection when the number of contacts increases, says state epidemiologist Anders Lindblom.

Smallpox outbreak

In the year 2022, smallpox has spread to large parts of the world. In May, the first cases were reported in Sweden. A total of 255 cases were reported in Sweden during the year, most of them during the summer months.

During the summer, the largest percentage of cases were infected outside and at most 20 cases were reported per week. During the fall, the spread of infection occurred mostly in Sweden, and by the end of the year, only a few cases were reported per week.

During the year, nearly 2,800 people were vaccinated.

Facts/Public Health Authority

• The Public Health Authority monitors the occurrence of various infectious diseases in order to be able to identify changes at an early stage, and takes action with the infection control units in the region and other responsible agencies.
• The Public Health Authority also analyzes how diseases develop in the long term and how different groups are affected and follows up on public vaccination programmes.
• Detailed annual reports on each disease will be published continuously on the authority’s website in the spring of 2023.

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