Children under 2 and those over 60 are among those most affected by respiratory viruses

Asuncion, IP Agency.- The Ministry of Health reports that children under two years of age and those over 60 are among the main victims of respiratory viruses. Remember that flu vaccines are available for the population from 6 months of age.

At the end of week (SE) 31, a total of 28,581 flu consultations were reported in the country. Compared to the previous week, a slight decrease of 4 percent in the demand for consultations in health services is observed; despite this, the trend curve continues above the alert threshold.

As for the number of hospitalised patients, a 2% decrease has been recorded. In week (SE) 31, 383 patients were hospitalised for severe acute respiratory infections (SARI), of which 60% were children, which is the most affected group: 61% are under 2 years old and 40% are adults, with 60% being over 60 years old.

So far this year, 499 children under 2 years of age, corresponding to 72 percent of cases, required hospitalization due to respiratory syncytial virus, 99 of them (20%) were admitted to the intensive care unit and 6 died.

On the other hand, the greatest incidence of influenza is reported in the age group over 60, of which 156 cases (30%) were hospitalized and 15 percent required intensive care.

According to the report from the Ministry of Health, only 4.5 percent of those hospitalized for influenza had received their annual vaccination, while none of those hospitalized with a diagnosis of SARS-CoV2 had received the immunization this year.

Covid-19

Week (SE) 31 closed with 223 confirmed cases of Covid-19, registering an increase of 7 percent. Twelve regions of the country have cases of the infection; 34 percent come from the Central department. So far, the highest number of infections is concentrated in the 20 to 59 age group.

A total of 2,955 samples were processed for SARS-CoV2. The positivity rate is 7.5 percent.

During this period, 25 people were hospitalized for Covid-19; one of them was admitted to intensive care. The highest number of hospitalized patients is observed in the group of adults over 60 years of age.

According to the updated report, no deaths were confirmed at the end of this week. So far this year, 92 deaths from Covid-19 have been reported.

To take into account

Respiratory viruses are transmitted by talking, coughing and sneezing. To prevent the transmission of these viruses, it is recommended that when coughing or sneezing, cover your mouth and nose with the crook of your arm, intensify hand hygiene, since these secretions remain on your hands and can be a vehicle for the transmission of the virus, and rest at home to prevent the spread of the disease.

Furthermore, the Ministry of Health recommends the use of face masks for people with respiratory symptoms as a measure to prevent the spread of viruses and to protect mainly the most vulnerable group: children, the elderly and the chronically ill.

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2024-08-21 19:25:34

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