By the A.M. Costa Rica staff

The Ministry of Health called on the population to increase precautionary measures due to the growing number of cases of children infected by respiratory viruses.

According to the ministry since June, a health alert was issued, which remains in force, with special emphasis on protection for children under 1 year.

Considering that the National Children's Hospital is saturated by those seeking its services, parents or guardians are requested to take their children to emergency services, said the ministry in its statement.

According to specialists, children should be taken to the clinic when they show symptoms of food rejection or breathing with difficulty or with a frequency other than normal. Other symptoms are fever or lips and nails become bluish.

The influenza vaccine does not protect against other respiratory viruses such as the syncytial virus, which is actually affecting more children, said the ministry

According to the recommendations of the specialists, the minimum precautionary measures are:

- Avoid going to public gatherings.

- Avoid contact of children with sick people.

- Maintain constant hand washing with soap and water.

- Cover the mouth and nose in case of cough or sneeze to avoid spreading a virus to other people.

- Maintain constant surface cleaning.

- Stay inside the house, if sick.

- Do not send children to school if they are sick.

- Keep breastfeeding children under 6 months.

- Do not smoke in front of children.

In July, as A.M. Costa Rica reported, the Social Security provided statistics showed that this year the cases of patients with respiratory infection cases were 726,124 from January to June. In 2018, 189,124 patients were treated for acute respiratory infections in the same period from January to June.

Specialists advise to members of high-risk groups to maintain the vaccination scheme up to date, especially with the influenza vaccine.

Doctors report that the people at higher risk contagious by flu and therefore needing the vaccine are:

- All children over 6 months and under 6 years.

- All elderly over 65 years.

- Pregnant women in any month of gestation.

- People over 6 years of age and under 60 with some risk factors such as diabetes, heart disease, respiratory diseases, cancer, obese people, chronic kidney disease, immunosuppressed people, with cirrhosis, with hemoglobinopathies, immunological diseases, and neurological problems, among others.



----------------------------

---

---

---