Health warns about increased circulation of viruses that cause bronchiolitis in the Northwest region

The State Department of Health (Sesa) promoted this Friday (3), in the Auditorium of the University Hospital of Maringá, in the Northwest, the training “Acute Respiratory Infections in Childhood, from basic care to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU)”. The improvement brought together 125 doctors who work in Basic Health Units, Emergency Care and hospitals in 30 municipalities that make up the 15th RS. One of the topics discussed was the syncytial virus (RSV), the main cause of bronchiolitis.

Sesa warns about its circulation since, despite being more intense in winter, when it can cause epidemics, the virus is also present in other seasons of the year, with the possibility of causing outbreaks. In this region, according to the department’s director of Health Care and Surveillance, Maria Goretti Lopes, there is a concentration of cases at the extremes of the age groups, with children and the elderly affected by respiratory problems.

“Children require special attention. The increase in SARS cases caused by RSV has been observed since the end of 2022. And as expected, given the history of the disease, these cases are mostly in children under four years of age. This is why we reinforce the importance of care. Parents should observe the signs if the child is having difficulty breathing”, he warned.

SYMPTOMS

Runny nose, mild cough and, sometimes, fever. These are the symptoms of most children infected with Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), one of the biggest causes of respiratory infections in newborns and young children, especially babies. He is one of the villains that causes a lot of headaches and rushes for parents who deal with the care and treatment of children.

In Paraná, since January this year, 6,455 cases of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) have been reported. Of these, 1,596 (24.8%) were children under 5 years of age. There were 273 cases (17.1%) due to syncytial virus alone in this age group. This number only refers to hospitalizations recorded as a result of the infection.

“The majority of infected children have only mild symptoms, generally similar to those of a common cold, but in children under 2 years of age the infection can progress to more serious cases and be responsible for up to 75% of bronchiolitis and 40% of pneumonia,” he explained. Maria Goretti.

SURVEILLANCE

Monitoring in the State is carried out through the Sentinel Units (US), where clinical samples are collected, within the epidemiological week, from cases treated in these units. Based on the collection, diagnosis is carried out as well as complementary studies of the identified viruses, such as influenza, SARS-Cov-2 and RSV itself.

Records of laboratory diagnostic results are entered into Sivep-Gripe, according to established local flows.

EXTREMELY CAREFUL

Babies under six months of age who are being breastfed, especially premature babies, children with chronic lung disease of prematurity and those with heart disease represent the groups most at risk for developing a more serious respiratory infection, requiring hospitalization in 10% to 15% of cases.

As there is still no vaccine capable of preventing the virus, immunoglobulin (antibodies) is responsible for inducing passive immunization against RSV. The medication Palivizumab is a monoclonal antibody indicated to increase protection against severe respiratory infections caused by the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in children born prematurely or with comorbidities. The medication is made available by Sesa to the 22 Health Regions for administration at the application centers.

The medication is administered between the months of April and August (seasonal period) in children who meet certain criteria, such as premature babies born with a gestational age less than or equal to 28 weeks and 6 days and aged less than 1 year (up to 11m and 29 days).