Pernambuco enters state of emergency after increase in cases of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome

The Government of Pernambuco declared the emergency state in public health due to the high bed occupancy rate in neonatal and pediatric Intensive Care Units (ICUs) due to the growth in the number of cases of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). The emergency decree, which is valid for 90 days, was published in the Official Gazette this Friday (26).

The text declares “emergency situation within the scope of public health in the State of Pernambuco, due to the high occupancy rates of beds in Intensive Care Units – neonatal and pediatric ICUs due to the increase in cases of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome – SARS of viral etiology” .

To establish a state of emergency, the decree considered “the need to adopt urgent measures aimed at prevention, control and expansion of the child health care network”.

The publication “authorizes the adoption of all administrative measures necessary to respond to the emergency situation, in compliance with current legislation”. With the emergency situation, the State Department of Health (SES-PE) must invest in actions to combat the syndrome and take measures to help prevent the disease.

This year alone, Pernambuco has already registered 741 cases of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome and, of these cases, 55.6% are children and adolescents up to 14 years old. One of the measures taken by the Department of Health to control the situation was to open children’s beds in health units in the interior.

On May 4, 24 new beds specialized in pediatric care were opened and aimed at serving children diagnosed with SARS. The hospitals that were chosen to open were Hospital Eduardo Campos, in Recife, Hospital João Murilo de Oliveira, in Vitória de Santo Antão, Hospital Regional de Palmares, in Palmares, and Hospital Regional Emília Câmara, in Afogados da Ingazeira.

Currently, there are 66 patients waiting for a place in the Pediatric ICU, and 14 patients waiting for a Neonatal ICU, according to the Health Department’s Regulation Center.