respiratory disease incidence

In the past three years, the incidence rate of respiratory diseases among the entire population in my country has increased by 17.2% compared with before 2019, with the increases for children aged 0-6 and the elderly over 65 reaching 32.8% and 25.7% respectively. However, the incidence rate for people exposed in occupations such as coal mining, textiles, chemicals, etc. has dropped by 12.4% compared with 10 years ago. This is the latest monitoring data released by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention in 2024, and it is currently the most authoritative conclusion on this issue in China.

Last month, I went to the Beijing Institute of Pediatrics to pick up nebulizers for children that a friend asked me to bring. It happened to be the peak period of respiratory diseases in November. The corridor was crowded with parents holding nebulizer cups to accompany their children. The caller jumped more than 300 numbers in two hours. There were half-meter-high medical treatment cards piled on the counter at the nurse station. Many parents gathered together to complain, saying that in the past three years, their children have been constantly catching colds and fevers. They used to go to the hospital at most twice a year, but now they have to run three or four times a winter. Has the child's immunity really become worse after the new crown epidemic?

This statement is widely spread among parents. Many people directly attribute the increase in incidence rates to immune damage after COVID-19 infection, and even say that the entire population's respiratory immune barrier has "collapsed." However, many researchers in the public health field do not agree with this judgment. A tracking study by the Fudan School of Public Health at the end of last year mentioned that from 2015 to 2018, the incidence of respiratory diseases in children aged 0-6 in my country had steadily increased at an annual rate of 4.9%. The epidemic prevention measures of wearing masks and reducing gatherings in the first three years were equivalent to temporarily suppressing the number of cases for two years. After the relaxation, the concentrated rebound made the increase appear particularly prominent. There was no general decline in immunity. At present, both sides have their own small sample data to support it, and there is no unified conclusion yet.

Oh, by the way, many people may not realize that allergic rhinitis that we usually get when the seasons change, chronic pharyngitis that smokers often get, and even bronchitis that is easy to get in hazy days are actually included in the statistical category of respiratory diseases. Many people don’t take it seriously if they get rhinitis three or four times a year. This is why the statistical incidence rate is much higher than what many people think.

Interestingly, not all groups have an upward trend in the incidence rate. Instead, the incidence rate among occupationally exposed groups has dropped for 10 consecutive years. Not long ago, I went to a state-owned coal mine in Datong, Shanxi Province to do occupational health research. The head of the mine's safety department told me that 8 out of 10 workers who went underground 10 years ago had chronic bronchitis, and more than a dozen new cases of pneumoconiosis were detected every year. All dust-proof sprays in the mine have been replaced with micron-level ones, and workers must wear KN95-level dust masks when going down the mine. Free lung function screenings are done twice a year at the mine. There were only two new cases of pneumoconiosis last year, which was less than one-tenth of what it was 10 years ago. Not only coal mines, but also industries such as textile factories and chemical companies that used to have a high incidence of respiratory diseases have seen their incidence rates drop significantly in recent years. The essence is that occupational protection is in place.

When it comes to protection, there are two completely opposite opinions. One theory is that wearing a mask every day can reduce the risk of respiratory diseases by more than 30%. I am a beneficiary - I am allergic to pollen. In the past, when catkins were flying in the spring, I would have to cough for half a month. Allergic rhinitis made me unable to sleep well. In the past two years, I have developed the habit of wearing a mask when going out and washing my nose first when I come home. Last spring, I only had a slight offence, and I was cured in two days. However, some parents said that their children were too well protected when they were young. They wore masks when they went out and rarely came into contact with germs from the outside world. After entering kindergarten, they often fell ill. My colleague's child had almost never been to crowded places before he was 3 years old. In the first month of kindergarten last year, he contracted mycoplasma pneumonia three times in a row and stayed at home for almost two months. At present, there is no large sample tracking data for more than 5 years in the academic community on whether to wear masks for a long time in daily life. Both opinions have their own truths. In fact, there is no need to get entangled. Wear it in crowded places during the peak period of influenza, and go for a run outdoors when the air is good. It is always right.

In fact, after all is said and done, the three words "morbidity rate" are just a cold number in statistical reports. It falls on every ordinary person to decide whether to take leave, whether to queue up for emergency treatment in the middle of the night, and whether to miss school for their children. Don't get anxious when you see the data rising, and don't take it completely seriously. Open windows for ventilation at home, smoke less if you can, and get the flu vaccine in advance if you have elderly or children at home. It's better than anything else.