key: cord-292660-02oynmvt
authors: Tsai, Jong‐Rung; Yang, Chih‐Jen; Huang, Wei‐Ling; Chen, Yen‐Hsu
title: Decline in invasive pneumococcus diseases while combating the COVID‐19 pandemic in Taiwan
date: 2020-05-26
journal: Kaohsiung J Med Sci
DOI: 10.1002/kjm2.12233
sha: 
doc_id: 292660
cord_uid: 02oynmvt

nan

According to the Taiwan CDC, there has been a marked decline in invasive pneumococcus disease since February 2020 compared with cases in the past 5 years (Figure 1 ). Streptococcus pneumoniae can spread through droplets in the air as with COVID-19, and S pneumoniae may enter and remain in the nose and throat. 4 The incubation period of S pneumoniae is about 1 to 3 days, after which it can invade the lungs, blood, sinuses, middle ear, or brain, potentially leading to a severe and fatal infection. "Invasive pneumococcal disease" is defined as an infection confirmed by the isolation of S pneumoniae from a normally sterile site, such as blood, cerebrospinal fluid, and pleural, joint, or peritoneal fluid. 5 Invasive pneumococcus is a notifiable disease, and it must be reported to the Taiwan CDC within 1 week.

We believe that the reduction in invasive pneumococcus disease has been influenced by the current preventive strategies for COVID-19 in Taiwan.

Chih-Jen Yang 2 Wei-Ling Huang 2

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