Of the three respiratory viruses currently affecting the Dominican population, influenza A has the highest prevalence in doctor’s office visits, while a larger increase could be seen in respiratory syncytial cases.
Pulmonologist Natalia García revealed that out of the 10 patients with respiratory conditions she currently receives in her office, seven are due to the flu and two due to Covid-19, while Dr. Nelson Torres has urged greater care currently with children under five-year-olds and those over 60, who are the most fragile target of respiratory syncytial virus.
García said that the behavior of these viruses is seasonal as is traditional for this time of year and recalled that they spread easily from man to man, so it is important to always keep preventive measures in place, especially the vaccine in populations at risk .
Concerning Covid-19, he said the XBB subvariant is present in the country, but that it has performed well, with ICU bed occupancy well below 1%, with patients requiring this care being those who have health conditions compromised by other pathologies.
In turn, referring to the respiratory syncytial, Torres recalled that there is still no preventive vaccine against this virus and, in general, it attacks the population at the extremes of life, in children under five and over 60.
