8 infectious diseases that made a comeback in 2022 unexpectedly — and illnesses that could surge in 2023

Hilary BrueckDec 31, 2022, 03:11 IST

ERs are short-staffed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, making the resurgence of other, older infectious diseases even more challenging.Photo by Watchara Phomicinda/MediaNews Group/The Press-Enterprise via Getty Images

2022 was a banner year for infectious diseases, due to a wide web of complex factors.
Mpox, cholera, polio, and the measles all turned up in places where they hadn't been seen in years — or, ever.

Polio re-emerged in the UK and the US after nearly a decade of no cases, paralyzing at least one unvaccinated New Yorker.

Elvis Presley met two polio victims: Beth Currier and Elaine Brockway in California, in May 1957. Beth, 14, was in a wheelchair, and Elaine, 18, was paralyzed from the neck down.AP Photo

Scarlet fever killed at least 25 children in the UK, who had a nasty version of strep.

Often kids with group A strep, the type that can cause scarlet fever, will develop a whitish coating on their tongue while they are sick.BSIP/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Measles is spreading fast among unvaccinated children in Ohio — at least 32 have been hospitalized.

Young children with the measles, and its characteristic rash.CDC PHIL

Mpox, a virus which had rarely spread outside of endemic countries in central and west Africa before, roared across the globe, with thousands of infections diagnosed across six continents.

Matt Ford said he had at least 25 painful monkeypox lesions on his body at one time.Matt Ford

Mpox, a virus which had rarely spread outside of endemic countries in central and west Africa before, roared across the globe, with thousands of infections diagnosed across six continents.

Babies and toddlers have been bearing the brunt of a nasty respiratory illness season, with skyrocketing cases of RSV, parechovirus, and other infectious diseases.

Some babies need help breathing when they have RSV. It is the number one cause of hospitalizations for kids under 1 year old.Business Wire via Associated Press, Seattle Children's

An out-of-nowhere outbreak of Cholera has killed more than 280 people in Haiti.

A woman receives an oral cholera vaccine in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on December 19, 2022.Richard Pierrin/AFP via Getty Images

More than three years in, COVID-19 is continuing to infect and kill millions of people — with various versions of Omicron dominating, for now.

A woman gets tested following a COVID-19 outbreak in Shanghai, China, November 28, 2022.Aly Song/Reuters

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8 infectious diseases that made a comeback in 2022 unexpectedly &mdash; and illnesses that could surge in 2023

Polio re-emerged in the UK and the US after nearly a decade of no cases, paralyzing at least one unvaccinated New Yorker.

Scarlet fever killed at least 25 children in the UK, who had a nasty version of strep.

Measles is spreading fast among unvaccinated children in Ohio — at least 32 have been hospitalized.

Mpox, a virus which had rarely spread outside of endemic countries in central and west Africa before, roared across the globe, with thousands of infections diagnosed across six continents.

Babies and toddlers have been bearing the brunt of a nasty respiratory illness season, with skyrocketing cases of RSV, parechovirus, and other infectious diseases.

An out-of-nowhere outbreak of Cholera has killed more than 280 people in Haiti.

More than three years in, COVID-19 is continuing to infect and kill millions of people — with various versions of Omicron dominating, for now.

8 infectious diseases that made a comeback in 2022 unexpectedly — and illnesses that could surge in 2023