Page 30 - IJPS-11-5

International Journal of
Population Studies Human behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic

it became highly controllable with the introduction of the Furthermore, one strain, B/Yamagata, disappeared and is
effective oral vaccine in 1961, though it can infrequently no longer included in flu vaccinations.
result in polio in a person who was recently vaccinated. It is Other disease prevalence changes include respiratory
called vaccine-associated paralytic poliomyelitis; however, syncytial virus, pneumococcus, noroviruses, scabies,
this is very rare. For every million doses of oral poliovirus conjunctivitis, Graves’ disease, and hand, foot, and
vaccines, there have been between 0.09 and 25 cases of mouth disease. Similarly, human immunodeficiency virus
vaccine-associated paralytic poliomyelitis. Hence, it is no treatment was reduced.
longer used in any country. Instead, the inactivated version
given through a needle and syringe is used. Figure 34 8. Weird behaviors
shows vaccine-induced polio cases.
The pandemic triggered unfortunate and weird human
Polio was eliminated from the US in 1979 and from behaviors.
the Western Hemisphere in 1991. However, the pandemic
caused a reduction in vaccination and the growth of 8.1. Guns
endemic cases in a few countries. Similarly, tuberculosis Chen et al. (2023) reported firearm sales and gunshot
treatments have been set back at least a decade, cholera emergency room visits before and during the 1 year of
st
was on the rise, particularly in Pakistan and Bangladesh, the pandemic. Although we were under lockdown during
malaria cases and deaths grew in 2020, and human part of 2020 and encouraged to follow social distancing
immunodeficiency virus preventative programs and throughout 2020, both measures showed increments.
prescriptions decreased.
8.2. Wildfires
7.6. Disease prevalence changes
Chen et al. (2023) reported that the 2020 US western
Not surprisingly, as reported by Cohen et al. (2022), NPIs wildfires were at an all-time high, mainly due to increased
reduced the rate of many pediatric viral infections in recreation during a dry season.
France. Lockdown strictness impacted the rate of decline.
CDC reported (2023) that the rate of sexually transmitted 8.3. Conspiracy theory and misinformation
diseases in the US went down significantly early in 2020, Misinformation and conspiracy theories, often from the ultra-
only to sharply rebound as restrictions were lifted and right, addressed, with hurricane force, COVID’s source, NPIs,
casual sex resumed. therapeutics, and vaccines. Many had deadly consequences,

Fortunately, the rate of many of the seasonal respiratory such as lower vaccination rates and improper therapeutic
infections dramatically dropped, mainly from isolation, use, for example, hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin, used
but also partially due to COVID-generated antibody and to treat COVID. Some examples of misinformation include:
T-cell protection. The most significant reduction in disease (i) A PEW Research Center June 2020 survey reported
prevalence is that of the seasonal flu. Chen et al. (2024) 25% of Americans believed that the COVID-19
reported that the pandemic reshaped global flu patterns. pandemic was definitely or probably “intentionally
For example, the US had only 624 flu cases in 2020. planned by powerful people”

Figure 34. Vaccine-induced polio cases. Image obtained from Our World in Data.
Source: https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/cases-of-paralytic-polio-from-vaccine-derived-viruses-by-strain.

Volume 11 Issue 5 (2025) 24 https://doi.org/10.36922/IJPS025110040