SP sees an increase in children with respiratory syndrome – 05/18/2023 – Health

A survey of São Paulo hospitals concluded that recently 69% of them saw an increase in children hospitalized with severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). The number of sick minors meant that most of these institutions also reported an increase in the occupation of clinical and ICU beds, indicating that patients are evolving into serious conditions.

The survey, carried out by Sindhosp (Union of Hospitals, Clinics and Laboratories of the State of São Paulo), had the participation of 56 São Paulo hospitals between May 8th and 12th. They answered whether they observe an increase in hospitalizations in the last 15 days.

Children with respiratory infections at this time of year are more common, especially since pathogens are transmitted more easily during the cold seasons. “In the autumn/winter period respiratory diseases prevail and the recommendation is that the population is prevented and do not forget the vaccination”, said the doctor Francisco Balestrin, president of Sindhosp.

However, some factors make the current year worse, says Marcelo Otsuka, vice president of the infectology department at the Society of Pediatrics of São Paulo (SPSP). He explains that, during the Covid-19 pandemic, many children were not infected by the agents that normally cause respiratory conditions.

With the cooling of the health crisis, these minors are currently being subjected to respiratory viruses. In addition to these, there are a number of minors who would normally be infected in the current year. Together, this small contingent can mean an above-average number of infected people, as well as a higher circulation of agents.

The most serious conditions of the diseases are also a reality – a higher viral load and a drop in childhood vaccinations are two factors that explain greater severity, points out Otsuka. In the survey by Sindhosp, for example, among the hospitals that reported an increase in hospitalizations of children due to respiratory syndrome, 71% indicated that the increase in hospitalizations in hospital beds ranged from 21% to 39%.

Otsuka explains that the evolution of viral infections to more complex conditions opens a window to other health problems, such as bacterial infections that can lead to pneumonia and require the use of antibiotics.

Therefore, the doctor recommends that preventive measures should be taken. One of the most important is vaccination. Flu and Covid-19 are two respiratory diseases caused by viruses that have vaccines distributed free of charge by the PNI (National Immunization Program).

But there are still no vaccines for some pathogens, such as RSV (respiratory syncytial virus), which causes bronchiolitis in babies. In this case, hygiene, isolation of the child in case of infection and proper nutrition are some possible actions to be taken.

The importance of adopting measures against RSV is even more relevant because it is responsible for a large number of hospitalizations and mainly impacts minors, the group most at risk for fatalities. “In children, the respiratory syncytial virus continues to be the main virus identified, being responsible for the current scenario in this public”, write Fiocruz researchers in the latest bulletin of Infogripe, the institution’s project.

The survey compiled data up to May 6 and concluded that, of hospitalizations for SARS with positive tests for respiratory viruses across the country, 47% were caused by RSV, followed by Sars-CoV-2, which causes Covid-19, with 25%, and to a lesser extent by influenza strains.

The bulletin also warns that there is a moderate growth trend in the country for respiratory syndrome. For example, the long-term upward trend, when looking at what happened in the last six, was seen in 19 Brazilian states, but São Paulo is not among them.

Leonardo Bastos, one of the researchers who is part of Infogripe, explains that the state has a stable number of SARS, but still worrying. “São Paulo is kind of stable, but at a high level”, he summarizes.

According to the State Department of Health, there are 888 semi-intensive care and ICU beds for children in São Paulo. “Currently, the average pediatric occupancy rate is 72.07% for directly administered hospitals, and 75.64% for hospitals managed by Social Health Organizations (OSS).”

The Municipal Health Secretariat said that, for SRAG, 50% of ICU beds were occupied this Wednesday (17) in the capital of São Paulo.

Even so, the state still concentrates a large number of hospitalizations in children under four years of age due to respiratory syndromes. In the week of April 30th to May 6th, 2,500 new cases of SARS were registered throughout Brazil in this public. Of these, 500 were in São Paulo – that is, 20% of the total.