A highly contagious virus fills hospitals in Brazil

The number of cases of SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) continues to rise in Santa Catarina and throughout Brazil. The Fiocruz report released on Friday (3) shows that cases caused by RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) and influenza are very high.

The viruses, which are highly contagious, can be prevented with influenza vaccines. Currently, the remaining doses of the vaccine will be released for application to the entire population over a period of 6 months in Santa Catarina.

Hospitalization due to a highly contagious virus

Santa Catarina has declared a public health emergency following the increasing number of cases of the respiratory illness in the state. This measure was officially published in the Official Gazette of Santa Catarina last Monday (29).

This Saturday (4), the occupancy rate of intensive care unit beds in Santa Catarina has already reached 94.40%.

The most important areas are Foz do Río Itajaí, which has no beds available, and Grande Florianópolis, with only seven beds available.

An infectious virus fills hospitals in Santa Catarina – Photo: Reproduction/Unsplash/ND

Despite the number, according to SES/SC (Santa Catarina State Health Department), Patients in areas that may not have available beds may be transferred to other areas.

Fiocruz bulletin shows concern

According to the latest bulletin from Fiocruz (Fundação Oswaldo Cruz), the greater prevalence of RSV has led to a significant increase in SARS cases and deaths among children up to 2 years of age in Brazil.

Other respiratory viruses that continue to see a high incidence of infection among children are Sars-CoV-2 (covid-19) and rhinovirus. Among older people, the number of deaths from SARS remains higher, with Covid-19 dominating.

In the analysis conducted by the federal units, 22 states recorded a long-term increase in SARS cases, including Santa Catarina. are they:

Alagoas, Amazonas, Amapa, Ceara, Federal District, Goiás, Maranhão, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Minas Gerais, Pará, Paraíba, Parana, Pernambuco, Rio Grande do Norte, Rio Grande do Sul, Rio de Janeiro, Rondônia, Santa Catarina, Sergipe, São Paulo and Tocantins.

Regarding SARS cases due to Covid-19, the indicator is a decline in the states of the Central West, Southeast and South. In other regions, the trend is to stabilize at relatively low levels.