CMO: Notable drop in respiratory diseases

CHIEF Medical Officer Dr Roshan Parasram has noted a significant drop in respiratory diseases, which he says affects one-tenth of the population every year.

At the Ministry of Health's daily covid19 virtual press briefing, Parasram said that last week there had been 67 cases of respiratory diseases. He added that annually, about 120,000 people are affected by respiratory diseases.

Parasram said the reason for this significant drop is a combination of stringent public health measures taken in order to contain the spread of the covid19 virus, and a decline in visits to hospitals.

“Over the last week, we have had about ten cases per day. The week before, we saw reductions in (cases of) the common cold as well as gastroenteritis,” Parasram said.