Filled hospitals, three times more cases. Sanepid beats the alarm

Doctors from the Intensive Medical Care Department of the Provincial Hospital in Bytom are fighting for the patient's life, who went there because of the complications of flu.

– She (flu – editor's note) seems to be very trivial, because most of the cold with flu treats the same disease, but this is a very serious viral disease that causes complications that may end in staying with intensive therapy – he points out Dr Bartłomiej Bartoszek from the Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Therapy of the Provincial Specialist Hospital No. 4 in Bytom.

Only from the beginning of the year in the Śląskie Voivodeship 25 people died due to peery complications. Over 52,000 people fell ill. This is twice as much as in the whole last year.

– This year's flu wave is very different from last year. This is, according to our estimates, three times more cases. Similar estimates also apply to fatal cases. At the moment, we estimate that about a thousand people from the beginning, i.e. from September last year, died of flu and its complications – alerts Dr. Paweł Grzesiowski, chief sanitary inspector.

There are so many cases that hospitals introduce restrictions. – We were forced to limit a little visit. Namely, one person may come to one patient. Of course, we also recommend wearing masks, not only when visiting, but at all when moving around the hospital – says Łukasz Majewski from the Provincial Specialist Hospital Blessed Virgin Mary in Częstochowa.

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According to the Ministry of Health, antiviral drugs are already ordered last week – 111,000 packaging. The next, twice as much delivery is planned for Tuesday. However, drugs have not yet reached many pharmacies. – Availability in practice at the moment is very small, although wholesalers slowly point out that maybe there will be some new deliveries – admits Marek Łysko, a pharmacist from the “Larix” pharmacy in Katowice.

At the same time, it attacks the RSV virus, like flu, especially dangerous for the youngest children. – On 24 patients, 18 children are a diagnosed syncytial virus, i.e. this RSV, and two children are currently with flu- informs Dr. Regina Ulfig-Maślanka from the baby ward and the pathology of the newborn of the Municipal Hospital Complex in Chorzów.

See also: There is more and more influenza. “You need to instill the need for vaccination among patients”

The flu is only seemingly similar to colds. It is easy to distinguish her. Ailments do not increase, and usually appear suddenly.

– In these first days there is a very high temperature, a headache appears. There is usually no runny nose. Shortness of breath may appear, a dry cough appears and, above all, this most characteristic symptom – i.e. Bone breaking and muscle pain – indicates Dr. Marcin Markiel, an internist from the Provincial Specialist Hospital No. 4 in Bytom.

Public vaccines guarantee flu resistance or mild infection. Less than 5 percent of Poles used them this season.