Healthcare experts around the world are warning that while cases of COVID-19 are declining there is a surge of viral outbreaks from other, more common diseases. By avoiding contact with others last year we failed to build up natural immunity and we will pay the price. Experts are calling this phenomenon “immunity debt.”

Doctors say the practices of hand washing and disinfecting proved to be valuable tools during the COVID-19 pandemic. Not only did these measures help reduce the risk of transmission of the novel coronavirus in kids and adults alike, but they also reduced the number of cases of other infectious childhood ailments, such as chicken pox, strep throats, and stomach viruses.

But as American life returns to normal, doctors are now seeing an uptick in runny noses and flu-like symptoms caused by common viruses. Colds are making a comeback after a record low number of cases this past pandemic year.

“People are taking off their masks, they’re no longer social distancing, they’re not washing their hands as much and they’re getting sick again,” said Dr. Aaron Glatt, an infectious disease expert at Mount Sinai South Nassau in Oceanside, N.Y. “Getting back to normal comes at a price,” Glatt told USA Today.

According to The Wall Street Journal, pediatricians across the globe are already seeing out-of-season cases of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a potentially serious infection most common in infants and adults with lung or heart disease, which typically strikes in the winter.  

Dr. David Foley, an infectious disease expert at Perth Children’s Hospital in Australia, said there was “an increased population that was susceptible, helping the virus to spread more easily. Foley compared the outbreaks to starting a fire. “The more kindling present, the easier it is for a spark to take hold and burn brightly.”

Physicians around the world are preparing for an increase in the number of cases of strep throat, influenza, chickenpox, RSV and more infections, according to the Journal. As life in many countries returns to normal after pandemic lockdowns, common viruses are also making a comeback with a vengeance as many people have reduced immunity due to isolation and lack of exposure to these bugs.

Experts say that both the very young who have weakened immune systems and the elderly will pay the price for the immunity debt incurred by COVID-19. At Maimonides Children’s Hospital in Brooklyn, N.Y., pediatricians are seeing infants as young as six months suffering from RSV, which normally affects toddlers starting at age 17 months, says the Journal. More of this year’s patients are being hospitalized and are landing up in intensive care units.

On June 10, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an urgent warning about the increase of RSV in parts of the Southern U.S. following a year of low activity. COVID-19  prevention measures kept children healthier during the pandemic, but now emerging diseases are making a comeback.