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CONSULTATIONS FOR RESPIRATORY DISEASES INCREASED BY 30%
06-06-2024- Health
Demand increased sooner than expected because this May was the coldest since 1961. What are the viruses circulating in the country and how to take care of yourself
The increase in cases of flu, influenza A, pneumonia, and infections by the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) that causes bronchiolitis, shows an image that is repeated in the wards of public hospitals and private clinics in the Metropolitan Area of Buenos Aires ( AMBA) and other large urban enclaves in the center of the country, such as Córdoba or Santa Fe, with people who can wait two or three hours to be attended to.
Although autumn-winter is the high season for respiratory infections, infectious disease specialists agree that this year the situation was anticipated, due to the low temperatures recorded in recent weeks, unusual for May.
For this reason, the waiting rooms present, sooner than expected, a large number of children, older adults and young people with fever, cough or severe headache.
Data from the National Meteorological Service (SMN) indicated that this May was the coldest since 1961, with measurements of minus 2.6°C compared to the historical average for the month.
Dr. Eduardo López, head of the Department of Medicine and Infectious Diseases at the Ricardo Gutiérrez Children's Hospital, told Infobae that “in the hospital there is an increase in infections due to respiratory viruses both in the ward and in hospitalization,” and noted that “the number of cases is higher than last year.”
Even so, he highlighted that this health center in the City of Buenos Aires is “fully functioning, but normally, without signs of saturation.”
The most common symptoms recorded at the Gutiérrez Hospital, he said, “are bronchiolitis and lower respiratory tract infections. The circulating viruses are RSV, influenza and rhinovirus.”
Regarding the coronavirus, he pointed out that in the Recoleta public care pediatric center “not a large number of COVID-19 cases are being detected.”
Asked about the situation in the Province of Buenos Aires, Dr. Silvia González Ayala, president of the Argentine Society of Pediatric Infectology and holder of the chair of Infectology at the Faculty of Medical Sciences of the National University of La Plata (UNLP), told Infobae: “The increase of respiratory infections is occurring everywhere.”
This increase is observed in various parts of the country where the circulation of viruses that drive consultations is recorded "such as respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), influenza and rhinovirus," Ayala added.
The specialist in pediatric infections pointed out that "although the figures available in the latest National Epidemiological Bulletin show the data that correspond to mid-May", this trend of an increase in the spread of respiratory pathogens in various regions is already reflected.
From the Ministry of Health of the City of Buenos Aires they told Infobae that "consultations for respiratory viruses increased 30% in recent weeks" and indicated that emergency services and guards are functioning normally, since this increase is expected according to seasonal patterns of respiratory diseases.
In addition, they recommended that those who present fever, headache, cough or other symptoms linked to the respiratory system and need to be treated in the public health system, resort to the 20 fever units that operate in Buenos Aires hospitals, "since they allow queues to be decompressed of the guards and people with symptoms compatible with respiratory pathologies are cared for there.”
The Ministry of Health of the Province of Buenos Aires reported that "according to data from hospitals in the greater metropolitan area, there is a 24% increase in consultations for respiratory diseases."
Regarding care in the private health system, in clinics and sanatoriums, the panorama is similar.
As the number of consultations increases, people can spend more time in the guard rooms until they are treated.
Dr. Pablo Comignani, head of Emergencies at the British Hospital, told Infobae that “with the beginning of this seasonal phase, which corresponds to the end of autumn and beginning of winter, cases have increased significantly in both the pediatric population and adults. of influenza, especially influenza A.”
And he added that, in general, these are “mostly mild respiratory cases, but in the population at risk - older people or those with respiratory comorbidities and in young children, they produce serious symptoms and even require hospitalization not only in common rooms. , but also in critical care areas.”
“During the past month, the guard treated 16,500 patients in total, including adults and pediatrics.
The pediatric population, mostly treated for respiratory symptoms, was 4,600, and among them, a percentage presented even more severe respiratory compromise.
In adults, we have seen many patients. The spontaneous demand alone has attended to more than 8,000 patients who come to the ward with symptoms of probable flu and, in the emergency sector, comorbid and older patients have needed to be hospitalized for pneumonia and even for severe respiratory compromise," the Dr. Comignani.
According to data from the latest Epidemiological Bulletin of the National Ministry of Health, so far this year, 288,893 cases of influenza-type illness, 37,329 cases of pneumonia and 28,375 cases of bronchiolitis in children under two years of age have been recorded, although the report indicates that the number of reported cases is lower than in the same period of 2023, according to what the specialists consulted by Infobae observe, the guards present a greater demand than last fall.
“In the Ambulatory Monitoring Units (UMA) an increase in influenza cases was observed in the last six weeks. No positive cases of SARS-CoV-2 or RSV were reported in these units,” the national report states.
In addition, as of week 16 of this year (mid-April), a new increase in RSV detections in hospitalized patients has been recorded. SARS-CoV-2 cases remain at low levels.
“The medical wards in Córdoba and other areas are saturated, with waiting times of three to four hours and no seats available, both in the public and private systems,” Dr. Hugo Pizzi, infectious disease doctor and epidemiologist, explained to Infobae. and professor at the National University of Córdoba.
The specialist indicated that this fall recorded extremely cold days compared to what is usually expected in May, which increased the demand for medical care to typical winter levels in advance.
“Low temperatures have caused an increase in cases of bronchiolitis in children and pneumonia, flu and COVID-19 in adults. The waiting rooms are full, and the hospital beds have an occupancy of 80%, although with a rotation that allows discharges in three or four days,” he added.
According to Dr. Pizzi, one of the reasons that explains the delays and saturation in medical guards is the decrease in the number of doctors enrolled in universities and residences throughout the country:
“This reduction in the workforce of health professionals in emergency care, together with an increase in the demand for consultations, complicates the situation,” he stated.
For his part, Dr. Juan Carlos Cisneros, infectious disease specialist and deputy director of the Francisco J. Muñiz Hospital, a reference center specialized in infectious diseases, told Infobae that in the health center located in Parque Patricios there have been “quite a few consultations” in recent days. ”, but also evaluated that “it is what is expected for this time” of the year.
“Today we have two patients with flu in intensive care, last week we had four. It varies at a high level, which is what always happens with the first cold weather, this fall it came a little earlier because there were very low temperatures and this will surely continue for one or two more months but there is no situation out of the ordinary. normal".
So far, he indicated that at the Muñiz Hospital more than half of the consultations are for flu cases and between 10% to 15% for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
As for Santa Fe, the director of the Iturraspe Hospital in the provincial capital, Francisco Sánchez Guerra, revealed that this health center has 95% of the beds occupied. In dialogue with the newspaper El Litoral he pointed out that they have “high demand.” This means that “respiratory pathology becomes prevalent.
And it affects both adults and children, but we are much more concerned about the high pediatric demand, because it is the one that requires hospitalization the most.”
Regarding the number of consultations, he highlighted that they exceed 250 patients per day when the usual rate is between 60 and 65 people. “We have patients who, admitted to the ward, can improve their ventilation when we talk about respiratory pathology.
We handle some pediatric cases in the ward and then they go home. There are patients who must be admitted to hospital and others who are referred to therapy at the (Orlando Children's Hospital) Alasia,” she explained.
The professor from the National University of Córdoba warned that low attendance is observed at the vaccination centers: “The nurses are prepared to administer the free vaccines against pneumonia, flu and COVID-19, but people do not attend.
In addition, a vaccine against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is now available for pregnant women, intended to protect newborns during the first months.”
Dr. Pizzi remarked that, despite having experienced a COVID-19 pandemic, “it seems that a large part of the population forgot the lessons learned.”
“In public transport and gastronomic spaces such as bars and cafes, careless behavior regarding hygiene measures is observed.
People do not wear masks if they have symptoms, they do not carry alcohol gel and they do not open bus windows despite recommendations to avoid the transmission of respiratory diseases.
The practice of coughing and covering with the hand, instead of with the crook of the elbow, contributes to the spread of viruses on surfaces,” Pizzi said.
“Consultations for high respiratory symptoms are increasing in hospitals in recent weeks, which are a reason for absenteeism from work although they do not require hospitalization,” Javier Farina, an infectious disease doctor and member of the commission on infections associated with health care, told Infobae. of the Argentine Society of Infectious Diseases.
“Cases of pneumonia that require hospitalization have also been growing,” he added. It is advisable to remember that to prevent it, you can apply the vaccine against pneumococcus, a bacteria that causes most pneumonia.
CONSULTATIONS FOR RESPIRATORY DISEASES INCREASED BY 30%
06-06-2024- Health
Demand increased sooner than expected because this May was the coldest since 1961. What are the viruses circulating in the country and how to take care of yourself
The increase in cases of flu, influenza A, pneumonia, and infections by the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) that causes bronchiolitis, shows an image that is repeated in the wards of public hospitals and private clinics in the Metropolitan Area of Buenos Aires ( AMBA) and other large urban enclaves in the center of the country, such as Córdoba or Santa Fe, with people who can wait two or three hours to be attended to.
Although autumn-winter is the high season for respiratory infections, infectious disease specialists agree that this year the situation was anticipated, due to the low temperatures recorded in recent weeks, unusual for May.
For this reason, the waiting rooms present, sooner than expected, a large number of children, older adults and young people with fever, cough or severe headache.
Data from the National Meteorological Service (SMN) indicated that this May was the coldest since 1961, with measurements of minus 2.6°C compared to the historical average for the month.
Dr. Eduardo López, head of the Department of Medicine and Infectious Diseases at the Ricardo Gutiérrez Children's Hospital, told Infobae that “in the hospital there is an increase in infections due to respiratory viruses both in the ward and in hospitalization,” and noted that “the number of cases is higher than last year.”
Even so, he highlighted that this health center in the City of Buenos Aires is “fully functioning, but normally, without signs of saturation.”
The most common symptoms recorded at the Gutiérrez Hospital, he said, “are bronchiolitis and lower respiratory tract infections. The circulating viruses are RSV, influenza and rhinovirus.”
Regarding the coronavirus, he pointed out that in the Recoleta public care pediatric center “not a large number of COVID-19 cases are being detected.”
Asked about the situation in the Province of Buenos Aires, Dr. Silvia González Ayala, president of the Argentine Society of Pediatric Infectology and holder of the chair of Infectology at the Faculty of Medical Sciences of the National University of La Plata (UNLP), told Infobae: “The increase of respiratory infections is occurring everywhere.”
This increase is observed in various parts of the country where the circulation of viruses that drive consultations is recorded "such as respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), influenza and rhinovirus," Ayala added.
The specialist in pediatric infections pointed out that "although the figures available in the latest National Epidemiological Bulletin show the data that correspond to mid-May", this trend of an increase in the spread of respiratory pathogens in various regions is already reflected.
From the Ministry of Health of the City of Buenos Aires they told Infobae that "consultations for respiratory viruses increased 30% in recent weeks" and indicated that emergency services and guards are functioning normally, since this increase is expected according to seasonal patterns of respiratory diseases.
In addition, they recommended that those who present fever, headache, cough or other symptoms linked to the respiratory system and need to be treated in the public health system, resort to the 20 fever units that operate in Buenos Aires hospitals, "since they allow queues to be decompressed of the guards and people with symptoms compatible with respiratory pathologies are cared for there.”
The Ministry of Health of the Province of Buenos Aires reported that "according to data from hospitals in the greater metropolitan area, there is a 24% increase in consultations for respiratory diseases."
Regarding care in the private health system, in clinics and sanatoriums, the panorama is similar.
As the number of consultations increases, people can spend more time in the guard rooms until they are treated.
Dr. Pablo Comignani, head of Emergencies at the British Hospital, told Infobae that “with the beginning of this seasonal phase, which corresponds to the end of autumn and beginning of winter, cases have increased significantly in both the pediatric population and adults. of influenza, especially influenza A.”
And he added that, in general, these are “mostly mild respiratory cases, but in the population at risk - older people or those with respiratory comorbidities and in young children, they produce serious symptoms and even require hospitalization not only in common rooms. , but also in critical care areas.”
“During the past month, the guard treated 16,500 patients in total, including adults and pediatrics.
The pediatric population, mostly treated for respiratory symptoms, was 4,600, and among them, a percentage presented even more severe respiratory compromise.
In adults, we have seen many patients. The spontaneous demand alone has attended to more than 8,000 patients who come to the ward with symptoms of probable flu and, in the emergency sector, comorbid and older patients have needed to be hospitalized for pneumonia and even for severe respiratory compromise," the Dr. Comignani.
According to data from the latest Epidemiological Bulletin of the National Ministry of Health, so far this year, 288,893 cases of influenza-type illness, 37,329 cases of pneumonia and 28,375 cases of bronchiolitis in children under two years of age have been recorded, although the report indicates that the number of reported cases is lower than in the same period of 2023, according to what the specialists consulted by Infobae observe, the guards present a greater demand than last fall.
“In the Ambulatory Monitoring Units (UMA) an increase in influenza cases was observed in the last six weeks. No positive cases of SARS-CoV-2 or RSV were reported in these units,” the national report states.
In addition, as of week 16 of this year (mid-April), a new increase in RSV detections in hospitalized patients has been recorded. SARS-CoV-2 cases remain at low levels.
“The medical wards in Córdoba and other areas are saturated, with waiting times of three to four hours and no seats available, both in the public and private systems,” Dr. Hugo Pizzi, infectious disease doctor and epidemiologist, explained to Infobae. and professor at the National University of Córdoba.
The specialist indicated that this fall recorded extremely cold days compared to what is usually expected in May, which increased the demand for medical care to typical winter levels in advance.
“Low temperatures have caused an increase in cases of bronchiolitis in children and pneumonia, flu and COVID-19 in adults. The waiting rooms are full, and the hospital beds have an occupancy of 80%, although with a rotation that allows discharges in three or four days,” he added.
According to Dr. Pizzi, one of the reasons that explains the delays and saturation in medical guards is the decrease in the number of doctors enrolled in universities and residences throughout the country:
“This reduction in the workforce of health professionals in emergency care, together with an increase in the demand for consultations, complicates the situation,” he stated.
For his part, Dr. Juan Carlos Cisneros, infectious disease specialist and deputy director of the Francisco J. Muñiz Hospital, a reference center specialized in infectious diseases, told Infobae that in the health center located in Parque Patricios there have been “quite a few consultations” in recent days. ”, but also evaluated that “it is what is expected for this time” of the year.
“Today we have two patients with flu in intensive care, last week we had four. It varies at a high level, which is what always happens with the first cold weather, this fall it came a little earlier because there were very low temperatures and this will surely continue for one or two more months but there is no situation out of the ordinary. normal".
So far, he indicated that at the Muñiz Hospital more than half of the consultations are for flu cases and between 10% to 15% for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
As for Santa Fe, the director of the Iturraspe Hospital in the provincial capital, Francisco Sánchez Guerra, revealed that this health center has 95% of the beds occupied. In dialogue with the newspaper El Litoral he pointed out that they have “high demand.” This means that “respiratory pathology becomes prevalent.
And it affects both adults and children, but we are much more concerned about the high pediatric demand, because it is the one that requires hospitalization the most.”
Regarding the number of consultations, he highlighted that they exceed 250 patients per day when the usual rate is between 60 and 65 people. “We have patients who, admitted to the ward, can improve their ventilation when we talk about respiratory pathology.
We handle some pediatric cases in the ward and then they go home. There are patients who must be admitted to hospital and others who are referred to therapy at the (Orlando Children's Hospital) Alasia,” she explained.
The professor from the National University of Córdoba warned that low attendance is observed at the vaccination centers: “The nurses are prepared to administer the free vaccines against pneumonia, flu and COVID-19, but people do not attend.
In addition, a vaccine against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is now available for pregnant women, intended to protect newborns during the first months.”
Dr. Pizzi remarked that, despite having experienced a COVID-19 pandemic, “it seems that a large part of the population forgot the lessons learned.”
“In public transport and gastronomic spaces such as bars and cafes, careless behavior regarding hygiene measures is observed.
People do not wear masks if they have symptoms, they do not carry alcohol gel and they do not open bus windows despite recommendations to avoid the transmission of respiratory diseases.
The practice of coughing and covering with the hand, instead of with the crook of the elbow, contributes to the spread of viruses on surfaces,” Pizzi said.
“Consultations for high respiratory symptoms are increasing in hospitals in recent weeks, which are a reason for absenteeism from work although they do not require hospitalization,” Javier Farina, an infectious disease doctor and member of the commission on infections associated with health care, told Infobae. of the Argentine Society of Infectious Diseases.
“Cases of pneumonia that require hospitalization have also been growing,” he added. It is advisable to remember that to prevent it, you can apply the vaccine against pneumococcus, a bacteria that causes most pneumonia.
