TRENTO. Files in the outpatient clinics of family doctors and pediatricians. But also access to the emergency room and in some cases even hospitalizations.
In recent days in Trentino the flu, the H3N2 virus has also made its first victim.
A man over seventy who had been hospitalized for respiratory problems and who did not make it. We talked about it with Dr. Maria Grazia Zuccali, head of the Apss Prevention department.
Doctor Zuccalli, cases and hospitalizations are increasing throughout Italy. How is the situation in Trentino?
As required by ministerial circulars, the Regions and autonomous Provinces are required to report to the Ministry and the Istituto Superiore di Sanità serious and complicated cases of laboratory-confirmed influenza, whose conditions require hospitalization in intensive care. In Trentino, up to now, we have had five serious cases and one of these patients died. Now that the microbiology laboratory has the possibility of typing the virus, we are also able to understand the type of virus that is circulating. It is a virus contained in the vaccine, unlike when it happened on other occasions where therefore the coverage was not optimal. In the case of H3N2, being precisely contained in the vaccine, we are faced with a preventable form.
Of the five hospitalized, none had been vaccinated even if among these people there were also subjects considered “fragile”, such as the 59-year-old who had recently been hospitalized. All patients hospitalized in intensive care?
Yes, all hospitalized in intensive care for respiratory failure. We also know of several cases of hospitalizations in pediatrics and neonatology. Hospitalizations due not only to the flu, but also to a sum of respiratory viruses. This has led to an unexpected increase in the number of children requiring care. Meanwhile, the number of infections continues to rise.
This morning’s Influnet data also signals a modest increase from last week.
For children aged 0-4 we had an incidence of approximately 42 per thousand, lower than the national average.
We are now approaching 50 cases per thousand. Is there a forecast of when we will peak?
The curve is still on the rise and has reached higher values than those achieved in the last 13 years. We have to wait for there to be a slowdown that is not seen at the moment and which will probably arrive in a few weeks.
Who wants to get vaccinated now is there still time?
We say yes, there is still time, even if it is late because the virus is circulating well and in any case it takes a couple of weeks before the protection is activated. However, it may be worthwhile to get vaccinated also because vaccination does not interfere with a possible infection. Even if we were incubating the flu, vaccination doesn’t affect it.
How many doses have been administered this year?
Those registered are 87,000, but those carried out are certainly more because sometimes time passes between administration and registration.
Who got vaccinated?
Above all the elderly population, but there are also the 3,000 doses administered to children thanks to collaboration with paediatricians.
Did you also order the spray vaccine for children this year? It was used?
Of course, pediatricians have used it for their patients. 2,600 doses were administered, all of those arrived. Then another 400 intramuscular vaccines.
How many vaccines had the company purchased overall?
Initially 90,000 with the possibility of increasing by 30%. In fact we proceeded to a second order to please everyone.