TREVISO – Classes decimated by flu. Absences from schools are multiplying due to fever, cough and sore throat. One before Pius X college was literally halved. There are also several absences in theIc Stefanini of Treviso. But the spread of the virus is really affecting everyone. Starting from kindergartens and kindergartens. “We are seeing a huge increase in flu-like illnesses. So much so that it is in fact impossible to respond immediately to all requests – explains Gianfranco Battaglini, reference of the federation of pediatricians of Treviso – the disease leads to developing fever for three or four days, even up to 39 or 40. And this puts many families in crisis. The two years spent wearing masks in the context of the Covid emergency had effectively excluded respiratory transmissions. Now it seems that he is bringing back what was never seen again.’
Boom of influence among young people
To date there are no serious cases. In hospitals, at least for the moment, there are no patients hospitalized due to serious consequences related to the flu or diseases of the same area. But the surge is evident. Especially among the younger ones. In recent days, several parents have also had to pick up their children directly from school. And everyone tries to immediately get in touch with the pediatrician. Unavoidable. «It is understandable, but in this period we ask families to have a little patience if they cannot get an answer immediately – underlines Battaglini – in the face of the current amount of requests it is really impossible. Very young children need to be seen right away. For others, however, if there is only fever, albeit with cough and sore throat, but the child continues to feed and hydrate well, it is better to evaluate the evolution within 24 hours”. Estimates say seasonal flu will eventually end it will affect over 100,000 Treviso residents forcing them to bed with fever, headache and joint pain. Numbers that have not been seen since before the Covid emergency. “For two years hardly anyone caught the flu. And now the mask is no longer used – explains Stefano Formentini, health director of the USL della Marca – in the light of this, we certainly expect an increase in cases of flu “. To date, the swab for Covid is still performed in the face of flu-like symptoms. Someone tests positive. But most are infected by the more classic viruses that have reappeared. You can also see it in the increasingly crowded emergency rooms. In Treviso we travel at the rate of 300 accesses per day. In the late afternoon yesterday, for example, there were more than 70 people in the Ca’ Foncello emergency area. Half of them with white code.
Countryside
Meanwhile, the flu vaccination campaign is continuing. At the moment, 80,000 doses have been administered. Including 62,000 injections made by family doctors. Not a huge amount if you consider that there are over 200,000 people in the Marca that are considered at risk from the flu. But it is also true that it is only mid-November. Throughout the past season, from November 2021 to February 2022, a total of 136 thousand doses. The USL still has almost 80 thousand vaccines available (at the beginning there were 158,200, plus 1,100 of nasal spray vaccine for children aged 2 to 6). For now, it will not ask for a 20% increase in supply, as originally assumed. L‘flu shotnot mandatory but recommended, is always offered free of charge to people over 60, to frail individuals, to children between 6 months and 6 yearsto those involved in public services of collective interest, starting from hospital personnel, up to blood donors and those who are in contact with animals for work.