For more than two
\nyears, from February 2020, when Romania recorded its first Covid-19 case, until
\nMarch 2022, when all pandemic-related restrictions were lifted, words like
\ncold, viral infection and flu all but disappeared from public discourse.
\nAll this time, both specialists and ordinary people were entirely concerned
\nwith the Sars-CoV-2 infection. The last time Romania faced a seasonal flu
\nepidemic was in February 2020, right before the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
\nAfter a two-year hiatus, respiratory infections, a common feature of the cold
\nseason, are suddenly back in the spotlight, owing to their rising number. The
\ninfamous Covid-19 waves have now been replaced by an avalanche of flu
\ncases. Hospitals are crowded and emergency wards are full of people with fever,
\ncold sweats and a cough. Doctors say Covid-19 coexists with the other types of
\nviral infections. But how to distinguish between them? Dr. C\u0103t\u0103lin Apostolescu,
\nthe manager of the Matei Bal\u015f Hospital for Infectious Diseases in Bucharest,
\nexplains:<\/p>\n
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All diseases caused
\nby a virus are called viroses. Some of them stand out for their specificities.
\nOne such example is the Sars-CoV infection we’ve known for the last two years.
\nAnother is the flu, which is known for being able to evolve into more severe
\ncases and even cause death. Yet another example is RSV, the respiratory
\nsyncytial virus, which in children, in particular, can cause severe forms.
\nThere are also other viruses, such as rhinovirus and the local coronaviruses.
\nMost vulnerable to these viruses are again the youngest and the oldest among
\nus, as well as patients with various chronic diseases that can influence the
\nevolution of such a virosis in a negative way. I’m thinking of people with
\nheart problems, those with respiratory diseases, diabetics and patients with
\ndiseases causing immunosuppression.<\/p>\n
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So, what is to be
\ndone, given that the effects of the viruses are enhanced, among others, by the
\nunseasonably warm spell in the weather? The authorities have published a list
\nof recommendations for the population, urging people to avoid crowded spaces,
\nwear face masks in enclosed spaces, ventilate rooms, maintain hygiene, stay at
\nhome if they show signs of respiratory infection and ask the advice of their
\nfamily doctor from the very first symptoms. Hospitals are recommended to screen
\ntheir staff daily, to restrict visitor access and provide protective equipment
\nfor staff who come into direct contact with patients. We don’t want to
\nintroduce restrictions, but to work with the population so that we can keep
\nthis natural, seasonal phenomenon, the flu, under control, health minister
\nAlexandru Rafila has stressed:<\/p>\n
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\n
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I prefer
\nrecommendations to restrictions. The experience during the pandemic proved we
\nwere right – the situation was much better when we made recommendations, the
\npopulation responded much better to them than to restrictions, which also
\ngenerated a lot of tension in society. I prefer the population to be our
\npartner, not to make the situation in general more tense, especially as we are
\nalso faced with a very complicated economic context.<\/p>\n
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With children going
\nback to school on 9th January after the Christmas holiday, education minister
\nLigia Deca says she is not encouraging pupils to miss school. The rather
\nunfortunate experience of closing schools or on-line teaching during the
\npandemic is not to be repeated. Ligia Deca:<\/p>\n
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We are in no way
\nadvising against class attendance. After two years of pandemic, we believe it
\nis important to keep up the pace and have a high percentage of class
\nattendance. The focus, as I have discussed with the Health Minister, should be
\non prevention. There are several recommendations. First of all, families should
\nmake their own triage at home, based on identifying certain symptoms, following
\nwhich children should be isolated at home. Then, a daily triage should be
\nperformed when children get to schools. When symptoms are obvious, parents or
\nlegal guardians should be notified. We also recommend the teaching staff and
\npupils should wear face masks, although this is not mandatory. We want all
\nchildren to have access to education, and if they display symptoms associated
\nwith respiratory diseases, they should be isolated at home and later be given
\nthe opportunity to catch up with school curricula.<\/p>\n
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What should Romanians
\nexpect this year? Will things return to the normalcy prior to the pandemic, or
\nwill we witness a new episode of the pandemic started in February 2020? No one
\nknows, even if both optimists and pessimists are confident in their beliefs.<\/p>\n
\n
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One thing is certain:
\nevery year before the pandemic, Romania went through periods of seasonal flu
\nfrom 2 to 4 weeks. The only difference is that they usually peaked in February.
\nThis year, the seasonal flu came earlier, and the cases multiplied particularly
\nin January. This is owing particularly to the 2020-2022 period, when viruses
\nspread more slowly due to health restrictions introduced in the context of the
\npandemic, yet also because immunity at society level has gone down. In other
\nwords, the Health Ministry says, the current situation is neither unusual, nor
\nshould it raise excessive concerns. (CM & VP)<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The authorities are considering measures to keep the number of flu infections in check<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":109,"featured_media":94211,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[42997],"tags":[35374,35791,39169,43916],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-144305","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-society-today","tag-covid-19","tag-health-safety-measures","tag-school-regulations","tag-seasonal-flu"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n