La Guardia of the pediatric reference establishment of Entre Ríos served 1,900 girls and boys in just one week. Given the significant increase in consultations for respiratory symptoms, the authorities reiterated that the majority of cases can be resolved in respiratory clinics.
The director of the San Roque Maternal and Child Hospital in the provincial capital, Alejandro Calógero, referred in a press conference to the situation that determined a high demandOn the one hand, the fact that around 1,900 outpatient consultations, of which almost 75 percent were respiratory problems and referrals from other healthcare centers.
“Many patients come to the hospital by referral from other health centers and when the patient requires high complexity – because they present an acute condition – they are given the necessary care, so that once they go through this stage favorably, they return to their place of residence. in order to free the hospitalization units,” he stated.
Calógero reported that when consulting for respiratory causes, you can go to the respiratory post system (14 operate in the province), where the health teams are prepared for this type of immediate care and, in turn, this allows the services to be released. of the hospital.
These days, it has been recorded that in the pediatric population the three viruses that predominate are influenza first, respiratory syncytial then, and to a lesser extent Covid-19.
“At this moment, we have 90 percent bed occupancy, which means that the availability we currently have is very limited,” he expressed and warned that of that 90 percent, almost 70 percent correspond to respiratory conditions.
«The majority of hospitalized patients are children with Flu A, whose age is over 2 years old. Although the hospital maintains a dynamic of abbreviated hospitalizations, hospital bed occupancy is high“, he said to emphasize that, although fever causes concern in parents, most cases can be treated in health centers or Regional Reference Centers (RRC). “In this way, if you go to the nearest establishment you can avoid the enormous demand for consultations that we have at the hospital.”
In that sense, Calógero was categorical in pointing out that Paraná has five respiratory posts: in the CRR Ramón Carrillo, Gerardo Domagk, Oñativia, and in the San Roque and De La Baxada hospitals. Likewise, in the rest of the province there are also posts distributed in Concordia, Concepción del Uruguay and Gualeguaychú.
recommendations
In order to avoid infections and reduce the circulation of viruses, the hospital director reiterated a series of recommendations to take into account. “It is important that in the presence of symptoms, children do not go to daycare or school, because being closed contact groups generates greater transmissibility due to respiratory secretion,” he explained.
At the same time, it is necessary to adopt ventilation of spaces, wash hands frequently and cough or sneeze into the crook of the elbow as a preventive measure.
