The emergencies of autonomous communities such as Catalonia, Madrid or Andalusia are beginning to become saturated by cases of bronchiolitisa respiratory disease that affects children under two years of age, mainly caused by the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and the main reason for hospitalization in pediatrics.
Historically, bronchiolitis appears between October and March, with a peak in late November and early December.
The symptoms begin to manifest in the form of cough, runny nose and fever, although with the passing of days can get worser and give way to respiratory difficulties that require professional attention in a health center or hospital depending on the severity of the case.
Bronchiolitis can be especially serious in children under 6 months of age and there is no treatment, only relief measures: nasal washes, raised headrest and, in cases of great fatigue, go directly to a hospital to be supplied with oxygen.
From the Spanish Society of Pediatric Emergencies (SEUP) they denounced this Friday that in some emergencies up to a 40% more cases than in the pre-pandemic era. To which must be added the cases of flu and covid and other diseases that begin to reappear with the drop in temperatures and the onset of winter.
This increase in cases of bronchiolitis is due to a multitude of factors, such as the lack of circulation of these viruses in the last two years and the lack of immunity in younger children. Relaxation with the use of masks and the safety distance do not help either.
Regarding the difficulty in dealing with the peak of cases, the SEUP highlights the lack of human resources in the Primary Care in a context of mobilizations that extends throughout the Spanish territory.
This Monday it was the turn of the Primary Care doctors in Madrid, where they began an indefinite strike to denounce the care overload, as had previously happened in Cantabria. However, the emergency situation has forced the CSIF union to reconsider the possibility of spread the protests nationwide due to the proliferation of these respiratory viruses.
“We are in a situation of a vaccination campaign against Covid-19 and against the flu and the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is increasing, which is causing bronchiolitis in children. It is difficult to raise a strike in the situation in which the citizens are“, explained this Monday at a press conference the president of the CSIF Health sector, Fernando Hontangas.