Health Minister Manuel Pizarro considers it necessary to “praise the Portuguese parents who continue to vaccinate their children against measles.”
Speaking on Friday, on the sidelines of the Infectious Disease Update Days at the Carre Cabral Hospital, Pizarro highlighted the need to “acknowledge the growth of measles cases in the EU, especially in countries where vaccination is decreasing” and to use this information to encourage parents. To vaccinate their children.
“What would have been desirable was that there were no cases in Portugal. However, all the cases we identified were identified among people living in other countries. This is a consequence of the fact that we are maintaining very high levels of vaccination.” The minister noted.
In Portugal, since the beginning of the year, three cases of measles have been identified in patients not residing in Portugal. Two children in Lisbon, who were in close contact. This week, the third case was recorded in the north of the country, in a 54-year-old man, non-resident of Portugal and not linked to the cases in Lisbon.
Short-term losses on schedule
Between May last year and the end of 2023, more than 300,000 people turned to SNS 24 to request short-term sick leave. Manuel Pizarro says he was expecting more, but for now he says time is needed to crunch the numbers…
“The number we were moving from was about 700,000 short-term casualties over 12 months.”
It is clear that there is no increase from what is expected. The important thing is to give yourself time to carefully analyze the numbers. I would say that given this number of 700,000 short-term illnesses per year versus about 300,000 self-reported illnesses in eight months, we are not seeing an increase in use of this resource.
Regarding waiting times in some hospitals, which remain high despite the peak of respiratory infections being passed, Manuel Pizarro downplays the drama: The important thing is that everyone does their best to respond to people's needs.
“Despite everything, social networking services are there to respond to everyone, whatever their circumstances. They never close their doors, act as a network, and do their best to respond to people’s needs.”
In the early hours of Friday morning, urgent patients (with yellow bracelets) waited about ten hours at Hospital de São Bernardo, in Setubal, and at Beatriz Angelo, in Llores, to see a doctor.
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