The new edition of the InfoGripe Bulletin, from the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz) points to a possible increase in cases of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in the adult populations of 14 of the 27 federation units in the last six weeks. In the previous edition of the survey, the scenario was restricted to the child population, from zero to 11 years old.
The estimate is 4,700 cases in epidemiological week 17, a period from April 24 to 30, with data entered in the system until May 2.
From this estimate, 2,300 cases (49%) would be concentrated in children up to four years old. This age group still does not receive immunization against Covid-19 in Brazil: the minimum age for application of the immunizer is five years.
The Southeast states, the most populous region of the country, are not among the areas where SARS numbers are growing. The states in this situation, according to the researchers, are Acre, Alagoas, Amazonas, Amapá, Maranhão, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul, Rondônia, Roraima and Santa Catarina. In the others, the scenario is one of decline or stability.
According to researcher Marcelo Gomes, coordinator of InfoGripe, the main suspicion is that this growth in SARS cases is associated with the advance of the Sars-CoV-2 virus, which causes Covid-19, due to a subtle growth in the positive rate of mild cases.
However, Gomes also points to the possibility of a return of Influenza-A, one of the pathogens that cause the flu.
“Laboratory data do not yet allow us to be precise. Future updates may bring more clarity. In any case, it is important that the laboratory network is aware of the possibility of simultaneous circulation of these two respiratory viruses, testing for both whenever possible so that we can have adequate data for the characterization of which of these viruses are causing these hospitalizations”, says Gomes.
The publication points out the growth of Influenza-A in different age groups in Rio Grande do Sul, over the last five weeks.
In the analysis by capital, 11 of the 27 showed an increase in the long-term trend: Belém, Boa Vista, Cuiabá, Curitiba, Florianópolis, Maceió, Manaus, Porto Alegre, Rio Branco, São Luís and Vitória. Meanwhile, Goiânia, Macapá and Palmas showed signs of growth only in the short-term trend.
Source: CNN Brasil
