High flu occurrence recorded in recent weeks
The Health Bureau (SSM) has stated that data recorded by several SSM monitoring systems show a recent and significant increase in influenza when compared to the same period of last year.
Meanwhile, influenza surveillance data from the Conde São Januário hospital (CHCSJ) showed an increase in the number of cases of influenza in the last week. The number of adults with the flu requiring urgent medical attention reached a ratio of 117 per 1,000 people, almost quadruple the normal rate. For pediatric occurrences, the ratio reached about 214 per 1,000 people, corresponding to twice the normal rate.
SSM’s Public Health Laboratory of the Health Services last week collected 127 samples from respiratory tracts and found that 57 of these had a positive reaction to the presence of the influenza virus, a positivity rate of 44.9 percent.
With respect to cases of collective influenza infection, since last January, SSM registered 60 cases, a slight reduction compared to the 88 cases registered in the same period of 2016.
There have been 32 cases of influenza accompanied by pneumonia so far this year. Of these, 18 were female and 14 were male, aged between 10 months and 91 years, four of whom required treatment at the Intensive Care Unit. These same four did not receive the seasonal influenza vaccine in the years 2016-2017.
So far, one of the cases has resulted in death. Twenty-six cases have already been discharged, and five cases are still being treated in hospital.
To prevent influenza, SSM prepared 120,000 seasonal flu vaccines for 2016/2017, and vaccinated the most at-risk people from September 26 of last year.
As of July 17, the number of people who received the vaccination between 2016-2017 was 99,397, corresponding to an increase of about 5,000 people compared to the same period of last year.
According to a statement issued yesterday, in order to respond to an influenza peak, SSM will adjust the work distribution of its departments. SSM will adjust the distribution of human resources within CHCSJ and the city’s health centers so as to accelerate medical service procedures.
