MESTRE – The flu has arrived and is putting children to bed above all who, like every year in this period, are the initially most affected category. The Region has started monitoring and reports, on average, about 3 cases out of 100 in the age group between 0 and 4 years. Meanwhile, vaccination is proceeding quickly with excellent results given that one month after its start, there are already 72,549 doses injected out of the 120,000 available for Ulss 3 Serenissima, especially on the elderly and frail people. “The ideal is to do it by Christmas, because the peak is expected after the holidays and it takes a couple of weeks to stimulate the immune system,” he explains. Vittorio Selledirector of the Department of Prevention.
THE MONITORING
There are two surveillances activated: the “syndromic” one with the network of sentinel doctors, 12 general practitioners and paediatricians of free choice, who every week compile and send a report from which the Region obtains the bulletin; and “virological” on the basis of the analyzes of the Microbiology laboratory which isolated the A strain of the virus in about twenty positive swabs. «We are in line with what is happening in Europe. The seasonal disease is appearing in parallel with the arrival of the first cold weather. For now the most affected are the children», confirms Selle. The data released by the Region indicate an incidence of 13 patients per thousand inhabitants, a number that is “pulled” by the pediatric range where it reaches 28.7 cases in the first four years of age and then 22.8 between the ages of 5 and 14 years.
To facilitate the circulation of the virus, which travels above all in closed and more frequented environments, is the lack of the use of masks which, by protecting against the risk of Covid, also protected against other infections. Of fundamental importance, especially for people who are older or who are already frail due to chronic pathologies, is vaccination, which in the meantime is progressing at an excellent pace. “72,459 doses were inoculated out of the 12,000 available, of which 65,897 were made by general practitioners, who are the first point of reference for the campaign,” Selle underlines. The administrations are of a tetravalent solution, effective against the two A strains and the two B strains of the virus, for all patients over 60 who are entitled to it; adjuvanted for the over 75s; and further enhanced in the active ingredient for over 85s. Two important innovations this year: the spray solution for children, which is working well, and the computerized system that allows health professionals to have real-time tracking of the vaccines given and requested, matching supply and demand. Finally, just today at the PalaExpo a V-Day is scheduled, reserved for all workers who perform a public utility service and are therefore at risk of contagion due to contact with the public: for example, agents of the forces of the order, municipal employees and investee companies.