Care for children with respiratory problems in hospitals in São Paulo grows

Even outside of the critical seasons such as autumn and winter, not only adults but also children are suffering from respiratory problems.

Hospitals in the city of São Paulo had an increase in demand for medical care due to flu, colds and sore throat, and consequently the wait in their emergency rooms also increased.

The main culprit for the rise in viral cases was the return to social life after the long period of confinement caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The position of the Society of Pediatrics of São Paulo is that the return to classroom classes should have taken place in August 2020.

“Children were not big spreaders of the coronavirus”, says Fausto Flor Carvalho, pediatrician and president of the School Health Department of the Society of Pediatrics of São Paulo.

“Children were the first to be isolated at home and the last to leave. Thus, the immune system is a little short of what it used to be. In isolation, exposure to viruses and bacteria was reduced, and the immune system was easier to deal with. be attacked. That’s the main issue,” says the doctor.

Climate change is another factor. In Carvalho’s assessment, spring is atypical, with more cold days.

“The air is very dry in the mid-afternoon and with temperature changes in the early morning and late evening. This combination of dry air in the afternoon with the wetter one and the oscillation and thermal amplitude have contributed to the children’s symptoms. The nasal mucosa becomes more dry and sensitive, which contributes to children getting sick,” he says.

The Children’s Municipal Hospital Menino Jesus, in Bela Vista, central region, recorded in November the highest number of visits to children with respiratory diseases. These were cases of bronchiolitis caused by the respiratory syncytial virus. In the month, there were 150 calls against 60 in the same period in 2020, an increase of 150%.

For at least three weeks, the Sabará Children’s Hospital, in Consolação, central region, has kept on its portal a notice about the significant increase in the number of consultations. It is even difficult to estimate the waiting time in the emergency room, according to what was informed.

Francisco Ivanildo de Oliveira Junior, infectious disease and quality manager at the site, explains that there is a mixture of viruses in circulation and the discharge predominantly refers to respiratory causes not linked to Covid-19.

Although the Hospital Sírio-Libanês has observed an increase in the number of patients with respiratory symptoms, the movement remains below that observed in the pre-pandemic peak days and times.

Although the State Department of Health has stated in a note that the Children’s Hospital Cândido Fontoura, in Mooca, in the east side, has registered a drop since September in the care of respiratory cases, officials said to the contrary. Without identifying himself, the leaf was there on December 2nd and talked to two of them.

On the afternoon of that day, the waiting time for assistance in the emergency room was three hours, a situation that had been repeated for days, according to one of the employees. On some occasions, at night the wait was as long as five hours—mostly cases of flu, fever and sore throat.

At Darcy Vargas Children’s Hospital, in Morumbi, in the south, there was an increase in the number of visits for respiratory diseases only between July and August, but within expectations due to the time of year.

“At the moment, the unit does not register abnormalities in care, due to its assistance profile, which is aimed at being a reference in high-complexity pediatric care”, says an excerpt from the note sent by the secretariat.

The Beneficência Portuguesa Hospital of São Paulo and the Hospital São Luiz, from Rede D’Or, did not respond to the newspaper’s questions.

outside the capital

The occurrence of respiratory viruses in children is not unique to the city of São Paulo.

According to Carvalho, in some cities in the interior of São Paulo —such as Itaí, Avaré, Bauru, Marília and Campinas—, the small ones represent 80% of the movement in emergency rooms.

The specialists explained that respiratory conditions are being caused by the circulation of adenoviruses, coxsackieviruses —known as hand-foot-mouth disease—, rhinoviruses, bocaviruses, parainfluenza 3, respiratory syncytial virus, which causes bronchiolitis in young children, but in older children and in adults causes colds, in addition to influenza, which is not the predominant one.

Parents should keep the rooms naturally ventilated, maintain the use of masks, wash their hands correctly, in addition to adopting some precautions to strengthen immunity: sun exposure at the appropriate times, consumption of fruits, vegetables and greens, adequacy in the proportions of meat, chicken and fish, beware of the abusive use of milk and avoid industrialized foods.

“The expectation is that we start 2022 better and without so many respiratory conditions. Parents need not be too alarmed, because this difficult phase will pass in a short time.”

It is important to remember that the vaccine against the influenza virus can be taken free of charge at health centers from six months of age onwards. The immunizing agent protects against the flu and prevents complications.