These days, the services of urgency are atochados and to obtain particular hour with a doctor broncopulmonar or a pediatrician can be late up to three days. The cause: an unusual sprout of influenza almost at the beginning of the spring.
This year, the peak of the flu did not take place in June and July, since he is accustomed, but in August. For three weeks a strong increase of the consultations has been seen. And this time, in contrast to other years, the virus for the most part responsible for the contagion is that of the influenza B. " The respiratory viruses are capricious. We had not had a similar phenomenon, at least since we take the alertness of the respiratory viruses, 10 years ago ", indicates the infect?loga of the Clinical Hospital of the Catholic University, Cecilia Perret.
In opinion of the experts what more attracts attention is that the predominance this time is not that of the pandemic flu, known like AH1N1, since there happened last the either year, or either common one (produced by the influenza A), but B. " it had never overcome in intensity the influenza A. This year yes has happened ", says doctor Perret.
What is the difference between a flu or other one? Almost none.
The symptoms are very similar: fever, pain of head and of gullet, cough and muscular inconveniences. Also there can be head cold.
According to the infect?logo of the German Clinic Pablo Vial, " her B is more benign, it is a little shorter, and it tends to produce more gastrointestinal symptoms: abdominal pain, morning sickness and, possibly, diarrhea ".
Most affected with the influenza B are the children younger than 14 years. Meanwhile, the biggest have been exposed to the common flu.
According to numbers of the Department of Health, 54,4 % of the whole of pediatric consultations corresponds to respiratory causes. In case of the adults, the percentage comes to 21 %.
In the network of alertness of U. Catholic also demonstrates an increase. The respiratory consultations represent 27 % of the whole of the attentions.
And in case of the students, 40 % of them corresponds to influenza B and in the persons older than 15 years, 50 % to seasonal flu.
The minister of Health, Jaime Ma?alich, indicates that despite the magnitude of the sprout " the pictures are light " and that, in contrast to last year, the welfare demand is minor and principally it corresponds to ambulatory consultations.
" The winter is a very complex epoch for the respiratory illnesses.
Last year was occupied by the human influenza AH1N1. This year has not happened: this space was occupied by other viruses, like the parainfluenza, influenza A and B and they have produced a late sprout, although he would not say epidemic, to the spring beginning. But this sprout comes in declination ", points out the authority.
He adds that " we are calm, because we think that coming the spring sun, this sprout is going to go in decrease ".
The experts believe that the sprout is going to last a little more. " Till now we have not noticed a fall. Also, in Santiago the sprout is not completely homogeneous ", indicates the doctor Vial.
Also The Araucan?a, Magallanes and Ays?n has produced to himself a displacement of the virus of the influenza B to regions, principally.
This phenomenon also is answered in other countries of the south hemisphere as New Zealand, where the first week of August the valuation of consultations for syndromes gripales increased in marked form.