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 Coupled with regional lockdowns, the inoculation drive has so far
helped keep rates of seasonal respiratory disease low, even as cases
of COVID-19 rise, according to doctors and recent government data.
Health workers and officials in Argentina, Chile and Uruguay, said
efforts to curb seasonal flu were key to supporting regional
hospitals, with Latin America now on the front lines of the global
battle against COVID-19.
The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), highlighting the
importance of the issue, has said a surge in seasonal flu cases
threatens to make a bad situation worse for overstretched healthcare
systems.
"We know that in many countries in Latin America and the Caribbean,
the epidemiological curve is still rising sharply," the PAHO said in
written comments to Reuters. "This means that more people will be
sick tomorrow than yesterday."
In Buenos Aires, which has the vast majority of Argentina's
coronavirus cases, officials have converted churches, schools and
daycare centers into 82 flu shot hubs. Health workers have also
carried out home visits to minimize crowds at hospitals.
"This will help us avoid a collapse in the health system," said Dr.
Vanina Miguel, an Argentine infectious disease specialist.
Government health officials were optimistic that increased awareness
around hand-washing due to coronavirus and mandatory use of masks
would also help reduce influenza contagion.
"(The measures) help prevent other respiratory illnesses, which is
why we expect fewer cases of the flu this year," said Daniel
Ferrante, undersecretary of health planning for the Buenos Aires
city health ministry.
Nationwide data shows respiratory infections caused by influenza at
their lowest level in five years. But daily confirmed cases of the
novel coronavirus have been climbing, almost all centered in and
around the capital Buenos Aires.
In Uruguay, the number of flu shots so far has doubled this year
over 2019, while in Chile 95% of the high-risk population has been
vaccinated against the flu, health ministry data shows.
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Brazil started a flu shot campaign early, but was forced to extend
it until the end of June after falling short of targets to inoculate
priority groups.
SYMPTOM CONFUSION, LESS POLLUTION?
Regional leaders have warned about winter's arrival, saying the
coronavirus could complicate the regular flu season due to the
similarity in symptoms, including a cough.
Doctors may find it difficult to decipher between the two illnesses,
requiring the need to test for both, officials have warned.
"It's clear flu and viral diseases are only going to make the
situation more complex," said Dr. Federico Flores Martinez, a member
of the Integrated Network of Argentine Doctors.
In Chile, the coronavirus crisis has already brought the healthcare
system to near collapse.
Critical care wards in Santiago now report 95% occupancy levels, according to
Chile's Society of Intensive Care Medicine. Hospital visits for flu and
pneumonia have crept up slowly but remain well under historical averages,
according to a Health Ministry report in late May.
Health officials worry that seasonal pollution could create a toxic mix in poor
and rural areas, where many burn damp firewood, possibly worsening respiratory
disease death rates during the cold, clammy winter.
But a positive side effect of lockdown measures could be less pollution from
other sources, like cars, industries and buses, said Dr. Laura Mendoza,
president of Chile's Society of Respiratory Illness.
"Pollution always gets worse ... and its directly associated with higher
mortality rates," Mendoza said. "But hopefully the good news is we have less
pollution due to less movement."
(Reporting by Cassandra Garrison, Marina Lammertyn in Buenos Aires, Dave
Sherwood in Santiago; Additional reporting by Pedro Fonseca in Rio de Janeiro;
Editing by Tom Brown)
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