Laurence Dollimore
MORE than 600 people have been hospitalised across Alicante province over the past week due to a rise in various respiratory illnesses.
The number of Influenza A admissions has tripled in the past seven days, reports Informacion, while those with bronchiolitis have doubled.
Overall, respiratory virus admissions in hospitals across Alicante have doubled in one week to 28 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.
Multiple hospitals have seen beds filling up corridors, while patients are being ordered to wear face masks upon entering health centres.
Other illnesses sending patients to A&E include pneumonia, acute bronchitis and worsening of COPD, with those aged over 80 most affected.
Dr Pere Llorens, head of the Emergency Department at Doctor Balmis Hospital Alicante, said the situation has worsened in the last two weeks.
At his centre, there has been a significant increase in cases of influenza A, which affects a third of people treated for respiratory infection. However, they have few admissions for Covid.
He told Informacion: “In young people, these are more trivial cases, but the elderly are more affected and it aggravates or destabilises underlying chronic diseases. They are the ones who are admitted the most.”
During flu season, residents, particularly those most at risk, are advised to be extra vigilant when it comes to washing hands and avoiding behaviour that could spread viruses, including sharing items and failing to cover your face or mouth when coughing or sneezing.
This might not have anything to do with the flu, but do we know if people get ill because of the fog in Spain, like in USA and other European countries? Btw the symptoms are the same!