The authorities are considering measures to keep the number of flu infections in check
For more than two years, from February 2020, when Romania recorded its first Covid-19 case, until March 2022, when all pandemic-related restrictions were lifted, words like "cold", "viral infection" and "flu" all but disappeared from public discourse. All this time, both specialists and ordinary people were entirely concerned with the Sars-CoV-2 infection. The last time Romania faced a seasonal flu epidemic was in February 2020, right before the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. After a two-year hiatus, respiratory infections, a common feature of the cold season, are suddenly back in the spotlight, owing to their rising number. The infamous Covid-19 "waves" have now been replaced by an "avalanche" of flu cases. Hospitals are crowded and emergency wards are full of people with fever, cold sweats and a cough. Doctors say Covid-19 coexists with the other types of viral infections. But how to distinguish between them? Dr. Cătălin Apostolescu, the manager of the Matei Balş Hospital for Infectious Diseases in Bucharest, explains:
"All diseases caused by a virus are called viroses. Some of them stand out for their specificities. One such example is the Sars-CoV infection we've known for the last two years. Another is the flu, which is known for being able to evolve into more severe cases and even cause death. Yet another example is RSV, the respiratory syncytial virus, which in children, in particular, can cause severe forms. There are also other viruses, such as rhinovirus and the local coronaviruses. Most vulnerable to these viruses are again the youngest and the oldest among us, as well as patients with various chronic diseases that can influence the evolution of such a virosis in a negative way. I'm thinking of people with heart problems, those with respiratory diseases, diabetics and patients with diseases causing immunosuppression."
So, what is to be done, given that the effects of the viruses are enhanced, among others, by the unseasonably warm spell in the weather? The authorities have published a list of recommendations for the population, urging people to avoid crowded spaces, wear face masks in enclosed spaces, ventilate rooms, maintain hygiene, stay at home if they show signs of respiratory infection and ask the advice of their family doctor from the very first symptoms. Hospitals are recommended to screen their staff daily, to restrict visitor access and provide protective equipment for staff who come into direct contact with patients. "We don't want to introduce restrictions, but to work with the population so that we can keep this natural, seasonal phenomenon, the flu, under control", health minister Alexandru Rafila has stressed:
"I prefer recommendations to restrictions. The experience during the pandemic proved we were right - the situation was much better when we made recommendations, the population responded much better to them than to restrictions, which also generated a lot of tension in society. I prefer the population to be our partner, not to make the situation in general more tense, especially as we are also faced with a very complicated economic context."
With children going back to school on 9th January after the Christmas holiday, education minister Ligia Deca says she is not encouraging pupils to miss school. The rather unfortunate experience of closing schools or on-line teaching during the pandemic is not to be repeated. Ligia Deca:
"We are in no way advising against class attendance. After two years of pandemic, we believe it is important to keep up the pace and have a high percentage of class attendance. The focus, as I have discussed with the Health Minister, should be on prevention. There are several recommendations. First of all, families should make their own triage at home, based on identifying certain symptoms, following which children should be isolated at home. Then, a daily triage should be performed when children get to schools. When symptoms are obvious, parents or legal guardians should be notified. We also recommend the teaching staff and pupils should wear face masks, although this is not mandatory. We want all children to have access to education, and if they display symptoms associated with respiratory diseases, they should be isolated at home and later be given the opportunity to catch up with school curricula".
What should Romanians expect this year? Will things return to the normalcy prior to the pandemic, or will we witness a new episode of the pandemic started in February 2020? No one knows, even if both optimists and pessimists are confident in their beliefs.
One thing is certain: every year before the pandemic, Romania went through periods of seasonal flu from 2 to 4 weeks. The only difference is that they usually peaked in February. This year, the seasonal flu came earlier, and the cases multiplied particularly in January. This is owing particularly to the 2020-2022 period, when viruses spread more slowly due to health restrictions introduced in the context of the pandemic, yet also because immunity at society level has gone down. In other words, the Health Ministry says, the current situation is neither unusual, nor should it raise excessive concerns. (CM & VP)
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