MESTRE – The emergency, therefore, is on children. “In 30 years of work I have never found myself in a situation like this,” says Silvia Girotto, a long-experienced free-choice pediatrician, with a clinic in via San Donà in Mestre and a thousand small patients.
«There are also 70 calls a day. We are seeing many sick people in the 0-4 age group, but also in middle school kids, up to 14. At school there are decimated classes: it is inevitable that there will be a passage of viruses. It also happens in the presence of two little brothers: perhaps the younger one of a few months is infected by the older one who goes to kindergarten. Taking off the masks doesn’t help, quite the contrary. From completely closed to completely open there is a difference ».
Girotto also works 12-13 hours a day. «In this period the rhythms are high, if I don’t visit I answer the phone and vice versa. The parainfluenza viruses that lead to even high fevers have already appeared, now the real flu is appearing, as shown by the official surveillance data. Influence that also brings with it other types of problems such as joint pain, myalgias ».
THE DAY
The typical day of the specialist includes a couple of hours, up to 10, to answer calls from those who urgently request a consultation. Then the visits start, which take up until the evening, in an attempt to manage all the requests within 24 hours. «We don’t have an answering service also because, in any case, I prefer to answer the phone calls personally to understand what the needs are, whether there are emergencies or not, resumes the doctor. close observation, checking how they behave, if they are very tired, apathetic, complaining you need to give antipyretics but also pay close attention to hydration, bathe them in warm water and let them stay in a non-humid environment. It is clear that keeping a child at home from school is also a commitment for the parents, who may both work. But it is absolutely not necessary to send them back to school if they are not completely healed, which can also require a few more days of rest ».
IN THE HOSPITAL
Girotto confirms that there are many children under the age of one taken to the emergency room for particularly aggressive bronchiolitis, which in the worst case require breathing support even in intensive care (in this case with transfer to Padua). In short, the combo between Covid on the rise, flu that you don’t mess with and respiratory problems of various types, are forcing doctors to provide a significant surplus of assistance. «At 10 pm I have to go to sleep if I want to recover», smiles Girotto who, perhaps, never actually closes one of his eyes. “Now we are entering winter and the holidays are coming. I recommend to all those who should have the beginning of some symptoms, a little unwell, to stay at home, measure their fever and understand if we are actually unwell. Going around sick means bringing viruses to others. So, if it is necessary, one must have the courage to avoid meetings with family and friends. And then, let’s dust off the masks. In two years concludes the pediatrician we have not had the flu because there were masks. We must understand that they remain very useful even on numerous meeting occasions, perhaps in confined spaces, where there is not a great exchange of air. Even so, by fighting the infections at the origin, we will all be able to better protect our children ».