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01/07/2011 10:00 - Updated 01/07/2011 at 10:09
Southern states formalize proposals for combating the H1N1
Technicians from the Health Surveillance of the three southern states - Parana, Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul, gathered this week in Porto Alegre to define proposals for coping with the Influenza A (H1N1), since the situation of the three states is very similar and different from the rest of the country.
The meeting was proposed by the Paran? to align the different fields of the three states. Proposals will be transformed into the document to be sent to the Ministry of Health in the coming days. The southern states were responsible for significant portion of morbidity and mortality due to influenza A (H1N1) in the country in 2009.
"We do not want no patient will die for lack of proper treatment. Vaccination is an important strategy, but still does not cover the entire population," said Secretary of Health, Michele Caputo Neto.
One of the proposals of the states is to anticipate the vaccination campaign for the month of March in order to achieve greater impact, because statistics show that three states of the influenza virus begins to circulate with greater intensity in the month of April, and the period of the vaccination campaign flu in the country is after the period of seasonality of the disease in the south.
Another suggestion is to include children aged 2 years to under 20 years of annual vaccination, as was a population groups most affected during a pandemic, and include basic vaccination schedule in children's influenza vaccine for children under 2 years . "Children are very fragile at this time and contract the flu are at higher risk of progression to pneumonia," explained the doctor and head of the Communicable Disease Surveillance and Control Strategy, Mirian Woiski.
In addition, the group wants to ensure a specific quantity of vaccines for all indications of the Reference Center Immunobiological Special (Create) and covering all health professionals and professionals working in essential services such as police officers and firefighters. "Another application is to adjust, in consultation with States, the goals of the groups to be defined based on criteria that not only the population, as is done today," said Miriam. She said the goals of vaccination for healthcare workers and chronically ill have been underreported by the ministry in previous campaigns, causing doubts.
As for treatment, the proposal is to keep this year the use of the antiviral oseltamivir phosphate for all cases of flu-like syndrome, without restriction, provided it is prescribed by a doctor. "We want to negotiate with the Ministry of Health the amount of medicine to ensure the use of extended form," the secretary emphasized.
The group also suggested include the drug oseltamivir as an item provided annually by the Ministry in the South "Today, according to a ministerial order, the indication of this antiviral is limited to patients who have severe acute respiratory syndrome and flu syndrome in patients with risk factors, "said Miriam.
As to diagnosis, the proposal is to implement a system similar to that in Parana, which diagnoses respiratory agents by providing the kit for multiplex General Central Laboratory (CGLAB) This examination, which is able to identify 12 viruses and bacteria five, will help expand the laboratory diagnosis to identify the movement of other agents, thus allowing the adoption of measures for control and prevention.
"In addition to sentinel surveillance (SIVEP Flu) and severe acute respiratory syndromes that are contained in the Protocols of the Ministry of Health since February 2011 Parana do the monitoring of acute respiratory diseases in all health districts," said the doctor.
The experts also stressed the need for more investment funds and hospital equipment such as oximeters and cardiac monitors for the southern states. From this meeting was set a quarterly schedule of technical meetings with pre-defined guidelines.
States also will suggest the Ministry of Health to draw up a campaign of prevention of influenza for which is conveyed in the southern states. "This year we only had media coverage in the vaccination," Caputo emphasized Neto. He pointed out that the best way to prevent flu is to reinforce good habits of hygiene, like washing your hands often and let the ambient air.
The group also proposed the creation of a Technical Board of Health Surveillance affiliated with the Southern Region CONASS (National Council of Secretaries of Health) to discuss common problems and guidelines to the south and suggest topics of interest to the House in the National Technical Surveillance in Health