Cases of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARI) increase in the country among children and adolescents, especially in the age group between 5 and 11 years. The data are from the new newsletter InfoGripe, released last Thursday (12) by the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz). The survey considers epidemiological data from the last four weeks, the period corresponding to December 11 to January 7.
According to Fiocruz, the virus accounts for 59% of SARS cases with positive laboratory results in children aged 0 to 4 years old. Already in the older age groups, including children and adolescents aged 12 to 17 years, Covid cases are the main cause of respiratory illness in the last month.
The regions that were most affected by the syndrome were: São Paulo, the Federal District and the three states of the southern region. The marked presence of the virus was also observed in the group of 0 to 4 years old in Espírito Santo, Minas Gerais and Roraima.
According to infectologist Rosana Richtmann, there are two explanations for the incidence of the virus. “SARS or Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome varies according to the epidemiological moment and seasonality in our country. That is, in different regions and times, we have different circulation of the virus, ”she explains.
In the first two years of the pandemic, according to a study by Fiocruz, the disease was responsible for the death of two children up to 5 years old per day in Brazil. So far, only about 39% of children aged between three and eleven years have completed the vaccination against the disease in the country, according to the Foundation.
Vaccines against Covid
According to the Ministry of Health, 754,000 doses of CoronaVac were received this Wednesday (11) to reinforce vaccination against Covid-19. The first doses should be used to continue the immunization of children aged 3 to 11 years. According to the folder, a new purchase should be made in the coming days, guaranteeing 2.6 million doses in total.
The infectologist, Julival Ribeiro, explains the importance of completing the vaccination cycle, and continuing prevention through basic care. “It is important to point out that the pandemic is not over, there are several subvariants circulating in the world. We have to take care of ourselves. Everyone should be vaccinated against Covid-19. And those who did not receive the booster dose should do so. Hence the importance of vaccinating the complete cycle precisely to prevent serious cases, hospitalizations and death”.
