Due to the early circulation of the virus Influenzawhich already generated “a high number of cases”, above the average for this time, the Ministry of Health of the Nation decided to advance flu vaccination campaign which will start this week. In Mar del Plata, the municipal Health Secretariat awaits the arrival of the first doses.
The decision, which stems from the concern generated, was made within the framework of the last meeting of the Federal Health Council (Cofesa), an organization that brings together all the ministers of the country’s area, and which agreed to “reforce the opportunity for the co-administration of the flu vaccine and the Covid-19 vaccine″with a view to the start of flu vaccination, which will start next Friday, March 25.
In recent weeks, a high number of cases of influenza have been detected. Public hospitals and private clinics in Mar del Plata have been realizing this, with the complication that at first glance the symptoms of influenza can resemble those of Covid-19. Infections are being detected to a greater extent among children.
“They are occurring more in children. Many were tested because they had symptoms similar to the coronavirus and it was not Covid “, indicated the director of Sanitary Region VIII, Gastón Vargas, and warned that “There is influenza circulating and viruses compete.”
The National Administration of Laboratories and Institutes of Health (ANLIS-Malbrán) came to detect more than 370 affected by influenza per week, an average “higher than usual for the end of summer”, mainly type A H3N2.
The situation, in the midst of the plateau of Covid-19 cases, generates alarm among the authorities and promoted the advancement of the flu vaccination campaign throughout the country.
In Mar del Plata, sources from the municipal Health Secretariat recognized in dialogue with LA CAPITAL that There are still no certainties regarding the date of arrival of the first batches of flu vaccines, but everything indicates that the application would be launched in the coming days.
The flu vaccine, it is worth clarifying, is included in the National Calendar for health personnel, girls and boys between 6 and 24 months, pregnant women in any month of gestation, puerperal women if they did not receive during pregnancy, people from 2 to 64 years with risk factors and older than 65 years.
The objective of these vaccines is “to reduce complications, hospitalizations, deaths and sequelae caused by the influenza virus.”
From Sanitary Region VIII, meanwhile, they assured that in the General Pueyrredon party “The distribution of the flu vaccine doses is scheduled for the end of this week” and pointed out that, as a result of the increase in cases of influenza, the campaign It will start a few days before” than usual, facing the beginning of autumn.
“As defined by Cofesa, the vaccination campaign should start on Friday”confided the director of the organization, Gastón Vargas.
According to what was reported by the Ministry of Health of the Nation, as of this Monday the distribution of the vaccines will begin to the 24 Argentine jurisdictions that will apply from March 25.
Federal Health Council
Faced with the early circulation of the influenza virus, the minister @carlavizzotti and Health authorities of the jurisdictions reinforced the need to continue with prevention and care measures.
+ info: https://t.co/ZUr9tRMH0S pic.twitter.com/weuJjpFIwd
– Ministry of Health of the Nation (@msalnacion) March 19, 2022
The Minister of Health, Carla Vizzotti, revealed that “800,000 doses of flu vaccines arrived to be distributed to the provinces” and indicated that this arrival occurred in the middle of “an unusual increase in influenza.
“There is an increase in cases of flu, mainly in children, since in the previous two years Covid totally displaced all other respiratory viruses, and now they are more susceptible to the influenza virus,” explained the official and epidemiologist.
Meanwhile, during the Cofesa meeting, Elsa Baumeisterhead of the Respiratory Virus Service of the National Institute of Infectious Diseases (INEI), explained: “In 2020 and 2021 there was almost no circulation of influenza, but at the end of 2021 cases began to increase again in the Northern Hemisphere and that began to have an impact in the Southern Hemisphere.”
“Bearing in mind that the average before the pandemic was 4,000 to 5,000 per year, we are very surprised to have this figure at this time of year,” he said, warning: “So far we have 1,055 (influenza) viruses characterized.”
In addition, he considered that taking into account the variants that are circulating in the country, “the vaccines that will begin to be applied in the coming weeks would provide protection.”
This is an important fact since flu vaccines are updated year after year depending on the type of virus circulating.
An “unpredictable” virus
Regarding the advancement of the “flu season”, Baumeister indicated that “the influenza virus is unpredictable” but analyzed: “We are coming from at least a year and a half where we were very isolated, which led to low viral circulation.”
The most affected “are being the youngest”, those under five years old and especially two, who “have practically had no contact with the virus”, which generates “a very unprotected population in terms of immunity,” he indicated. .
The specialist recalled that influenza A H3N2 is “highly transmissible” and the symptoms, which are ffever, joint and sore throatand which is not always associated with congestion, “start very quickly” once you have contact with the virus.
The preventive measures to avoid infections of coronavirus and influenza, since they are two respiratory viruses, they are the same: cross ventilation, hand washing, face masks and avoiding sharing mate or glasses, among others.
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