The new InfoGripe Bulletin, released this Thursday (10) by Fiocruz, warns of a consolidation of the growing trend of cases of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SRAG) in various regions of the country and among all age groups under 60 years.
In addition, the survey indicates that there is already a significant presence of the influenza A virus, both in children and in the adult population, among cases of SARS in the city of Rio de Janeiro, referring to epidemiological weeks 47 and 48 (from 21 to 28 November and December 28th to 4th).
In last week’s bulletin, Fiocruz already indicated a trend in the increase of serious flu cases. However, as highlighted by the coordinator of the Bulletin, Marcelo Gomes, the increase, although still slight, points to a sustained growth in SARS cases.
“A point that draws attention is that in this week’s bulletin, the sign of growth in the case curve in several states already has a face that is not just a simple oscillation. It is, in fact, a real and sustained growth trend. This growth in SRAG cases is still slow, but it is continuing weekly”, warned the researcher.
The increase in cases has been more prevalent in the age groups from 0 to 29 years old. In the age groups between 30 and 59 years, growth is relatively lighter. SRAG cases are still almost exclusively from Covid-19. Only in the age group 0-9 years that cases of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) predominated in relation to covid. Specifically in the city of Rio, despite the predominance of Sars-CoV-2 (Covid-19), cases of Influenza A are already having a considerable impact on this identified growth.
According to the bulletin, none of the 118 health macro-regions show signs of extremely high SRAG. Of this total, only 9 regions located in Minas Gerais, Pará, Paraná and São Paulo have a very high level”.
Advancement of Influenza
TO CNN, Fiocruz researcher Marcelo Gomes highlighted that the Influenza A virus is already widespread in the city of Rio de Janeiro. According to him, as Rio has a very large flow of people moving, this places all other urban centers in the country in a situation of very high exposure.
The specialist explained that like Covid, flu symptoms can take a few days to show the first signs. Thus, the chance of someone traveling to another place without knowing they have the virus is very high.
“For this reason, the chance is increasingly high of having what I call the importation of cases. It starts to be a matter of time before Influenza starts to show signs in other places, especially if we neglect the protective measures in relation to Covid. Precisely because these measures also play a very important role in relation to the flu,” said Gomes.
The researcher also assesses that the Influenza virus practically disappeared last year as a result of measures to contain the pandemic, which also had an impact on the non-dissemination of the flu. However, with the relaxation of distancing and individual protection measures, with the very low rate of vaccination against the flu, the virus is returning in full force, given this “ideal scenario” for its propagation.
Gomes also reinforced the need to maintain measures to mitigate the pandemic, such as social distance and the use of masks, to contain the advance of Influenza and Covid itself. He warned that Brazil, despite the vaccines, still lives a scenario of uncertainty in relation to the Ômicron variant and says that even before the spread of this new variant, the country is already in a scenario that points to the growth of cases of SARS.
Reference: CNN Brasil
