Yucatan ranks first in the incidence of Acute Respiratory Infections

With more than 16,000 new cases a week, Yucatan ranks first place in the incidence of Acute Respiratory Infections (Iras).

The incidence rate in the State is 819.60 cases per hundred thousand inhabitants. In the most recent epidemiological week reported, with a cutoff date of 21 July, 17,536 new cases were confirmed. With this, the total cases of Iras to date total 337,177 (153, 922 and 183,255), slightly lower than the same period last year, when the count was 323,124.

Iras are a group of diseases caused by different germs that affect any part of the respiratory system, with a duration of less than 4 weeks, although some symptoms such as cough, may take longer to disappear.

These diseases are described according to the place where symptoms predominate and are caused in eight out of ten cases by virus, the most frequent being the respiratory syncytial (RSV), influenza A and B, rhinovirus, adenovirus and coronavirus. The illnesses that affect ears, nose, throat to the lungs, are usually self-limiting, that is, they do not require antibiotics to heal and do not usually last more than 15 days.

The viruses that cause these respiratory ailments are passed from person to person through droplets of saliva that people expel while talking, coughing or sneezin. It can also be through contact with contaminated surfaces such as door handles, public transportation rails, tables, desks, telephones, among others.

The risk factors that make children more likely to suffer from respiratory infections are low birth weight; ineffective breastfeeding; overcrowding; exposure to smoke; malnutrition and not having the complete vaccination schedule

The Iras symptoms usually are cough, headache, fever, irritability, hoarseness, pain or discharge from the ear and blocked nose by secretion.

Sometimes, these respiratory infections can become pneumonia, which is the main complication, so it is recommended to see  doctor as soon as any of the followint the symptoms start: fever above 38 degrees, difficulty breathing or fast breathing, extreme pallor, lips, fingernails and hands that look blue, the skin sinks between the ribs or a slight hissing sound when breathing.

TYT Newsroom with information from SIPSE