India suffers from more than a dozen illnesses that are already endemic

On Sunday, March 7, Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain had said that the coronavirus pandemic is nearing endemic phase and people will have to learn to live with it. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines endemicity as "the constant and usual prevalence of a disease or infectious agent in a population within a geographic area".

And if Covid-19 indeed enters the endemic phase, it will be an addition to at least 14 endemic diseases and infections already prevalent in India. Endemic diseases such as dengue, chikungunya, kala-azar, leprosy and others have been infecting Indians for years.