2023-11-01 00:52:21
Updated Tuesday, October 31, 2023 – 23:52
With the flu and Covid vaccination campaign underway, there is still no indication of a significant increase in cases
Coronavirus vaccination event in Wilkesboro, North Carolina.Melissa MelvinAPHealth Return to routine with the increase in Covid cases and the threat of fall viruses: RSV and flu currently globally.” Vaccines WHO recommends from now on just one dose of any covid vaccine
From the rebound in Covid cases at the end of summer to normally assuming the return to the seasonality of winter respiratory viruses. For now, according to latest report from the Carlos III Health Institute Only a slight increase in the intensity of flu circulation is perceived both in primary care and in hospitals. However, there are no signs of significant changes in the activity of SARS-CoV-2 and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in both settings.
The sentinel acute respiratory infection surveillance system (SiVIRA) states that the global rate in week 42 is 481.5 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, when three weeks ago it amounted to 650. The percentage of positivity to SARS-CoV-2, influenza and RSV is 11.7%, 2.1% and 0.4% respectively. In fact, at the beginning of October, an upward trend was observed in the rates of flu infections and other respiratory syndromes, which included bronchiolitis, for three consecutive weeks. The percentage of positivity to SARS-CoV-2, influenza and RSV was then 20.7%, 0.9% and 0.2% respectively.
These figures accompanied the start of the seasonal vaccination campaigns against flu and Covid. Although this year there are new developments: all children under 5 years of age in Spain will be able to be immunized against this disease. Minors should also be immunized as they are a vulnerable group against the flu, as is the case with older people. In fact, the income rates of children under five years of age are comparable to those of those over 65 years of age.
The importance of vaccination also lies in the usefulness of avoiding complications in the most vulnerable population. According to the National Institute of Statistics, it is estimated that in 2022 there were 42,979 deaths due to diseases of the respiratory system, becoming the third cause of death in Spain.
It is worth remembering that respiratory infections “also entail a big problem and that is that different pathogens circulate in the same season, which increases the risk of coinfection and, therefore, worsens the prognosis of infected people,” explains Marina Moreno. , nurse at the Torres de la Alameda Health Center and expert in Advanced Practice in Vaccination.
Therefore, for the second consecutive year, “double vaccination against influenza and Covid-19 is addressed for the target population in the same vaccination event and, in addition, opportunistic review and vaccination against other serious infections such as pneumococcal disease is recommended.” for people who have indication,” says Moreno.
Experts recommend simultaneous flu and Covid-19 vaccination, in addition to making reasonable use of masks and other non-pharmacological means and the use of antivirals when appropriate. In a report of the Committee on COVID-19 and Emerging Pathogens of the Illustrious Official College of Physicians of Madrid (Icomem) The balance of the current situation has been made. At the threshold of the fifth year since the start of the pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2, OMIT experts warn that Covid continues to be a disease that has not been overcome. “Episodes continue to occur and lead to hospital admissions and ICU stays.”
Furthermore, this report indicates that while the booster dose against the flu is necessary, it is necessary to update the defenses against the circulating variants of Covid in the at-risk population. In general, immunity in society almost five years after the start of the pandemic, at this time of the post-pandemic and vaccination, only a small percentage of the population would not have antibodies against the virus, although the figure may be higher. in older or immunocompromised people.
It should be noted that a document from the Federation of Spanish Medical Scientific Associations (Facme) specifies that “it has been shown that vaccines against Covid-19 adapted to micron XBB.1.5 generate a greater neutralizing response against XBB.1.5 and other sublineages of related microns that currently predominate globally.
#respiratory #viruses #arrive #beginning #infection #season