La Anexión Hospital in Nicoya takes measures to care for children severely infected by respiratory viruses, mainly syncytial viruses, which are infectious microorganisms Airways, lungs, causing bronchiolitis and pneumonia.
The medical center has doubled its capacity: while it normally has nine pediatric beds, it currently has Up to 20 babies hospitalized every day For two weeks.
“This is something we have never experienced before, as there is always room for all the children. However, we have reached a point where we have to do this Asking districts like Santa Cruz to lend us cribs so we can accommodate more kids” explains Fabricio Sevilla Acosta, a pediatrician at La Anexión.
The number of children affected may be very similar to what we have seen in previous years, but More seriously ill children”, he elaborated.
he The Ministry of Health issues a health alert on Wednesday, September 20 due to an increase in respiratory virus cases in minors. Two weeks later, pediatric care units in the country’s hospitals are still at capacity.
“All patients are receiving the best possible treatment,” the doctor said, adding in “La Anexión”. They’re keeping boys and girls in the emergency room while freeing up pediatric space. They even had to provide them with mechanical ventilation – a machine that helps them breathe – while they waited for a space to open up in the intensive care unit of Children’s National Hospital (HNN).
“At this time, 10 to 13 children a day are waking up for emergency intubation at Children’s Hospital, which is slightly delaying the transfer of seriously ill children from rural areas or outside the Children’s Hospital region. (Like the case of Nicoya),” explains Dr. Sevilla.
In the past two weeks, La Anexión Hospital in Nicoya has carried out four transfers of boys and girls under one year old HNN in San Jose has been severely affected by the respiratory virus. All transfers are by land.
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Health authorities detailed a week ago that 34 boys and girls have died from severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) so far this year.Nineteen of the deaths have occurred since the peak of infections began in June. One death reported in Guanacaste.
4Transfer of minors from La Anexión to HNN
Seasonal viruses, special circumstances
Respiratory viruses spread more frequently during the rainy season. 2022 also warns of saturation of hospital care Minors closed the country’s education centers for a week. Authorities also alarmed by syncytial virus-related cases in 2021which they later dubbed a “killer virus.”
The impact on boys and girls is greater in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“All these children were quarantined during the pandemic, they were not exposed to these viruses, and now they may be exposed again for the first time,” explains the pediatrician from La Anexión. “This means these children have no innate defenses against the virus and the virus affects them more severely.”
Syncytial viruses can affect adults and infants. He added: “In children under two years of age, their respiratory systems are not fully mature, their airways are much smaller, and their bronchioles can easily become clogged with excess mucus.”
Hospital systems in other countries have been overwhelmed by syncytial virus infections in minors, which can affect them in different ways.
Some children do not become complicated and recover on their own. Others need more support,” stresses the La Anexión pediatrician.
In Chile, two minors died while waiting for beds in pediatric intensive care unit.
It is crucial for Seville to understand that the virus is spread through the respiratory tract and through oral or nasal droplets that remain on surfaces.That’s why he stressed it’s urgent Restore hygiene measures such as washing hands and drinking alcohol, and even consider using masksavoid going to crowded places, and do not send your child to an education or care center if he or she is sick.
These viruses spread very quickly among people and unfortunately they do not provide immunity. What do I mean? If a child is exposed to the virus today, he or she will contract the virus. If that child is exposed again in a month, two months, he or she could get sick again,” he explained.
Experts say parents should Monitor your son’s and daughter’s breathing ability. Here are the signs when to go with your kids to deal with an emergency:
- Shortness of breath.
- His ribs drooped as he breathed.
- The muscles above the sternum (the bone in the center of the chest) sag.
- The nostrils open and close more than usual.