Very worrying events in recent weeks after an increase in pneumonia cases appeared in Spain. Primary care professionals have sounded the alarm, noting how cases of this disease have reached a peak, although it is not affecting all hospitals.
José Tomás Gómez, coordinator of the Respiratory Diseases Working Group of the Spanish Society of Primary Care Physicians, spoke about this. An alarming increase in pneumonia cases was explained to the newspaper ABC.
“We are seeing more cases overall, especially among young people, and some of them are very serious,” admitted Gomez, who is also a doctor at a health center from Los Angeles. “My perception is that if there are more cases, we will see an increase.” Rioja.
Alarm after peak of pneumonia in Spain “above what was expected”
Despite the growing concern, Gomez explains that “epidemiological bulletins do not yet indicate this growth in cases.” Although this may be related to the fact that publishing this data always causes a slight delay.
Naturally, this peak we are talking about is appreciated in Catalonia. In the latest report of the Catalonia Community Surveillance System, it was noted that diagnosed cases of pneumonia remain higher than expected in primary care. One patient who suffered expressed it this way a few days ago On the social network X.
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“It's been a long time since we've seen this much pneumonia, especially among young people, who also haven't been vaccinated against pneumococcus,” Gomez emphasizes. The standard age for pneumonia is between 40 and 60 years of age, and fortunately severe cases are not the majority.
“We're talking about pneumonia, which can be treated in primary care, with no increase in risk compared to what we've seen at other times.” Although the infection rate has declined during the coronavirus pandemic, it may have to do with the fact that the oldest pneumococci
“This winter, cases of influenza, coronavirus and respiratory virus have been increasing at the same time.”
For his part, he also spoke with ABCAntonia Ocaña, Coordinator of the Respiratory Diseases Group of the Catalan Society of General Practitioners and Family Physicians (SEMG). “Among those who enter, there are many in their 40s or 50s who have other serious diseases, such as alcoholism, smokers or diabetics, who should have been vaccinated,” he lamented.
These injections are primarily indicated for children younger than 1 year of age, older than 65 years of age, or at-risk populations. This includes people with serious respiratory, chronic, cardiovascular, neurological and muscular diseases. In addition to those who suffer from diabetes or who have had a transplant.
The Spanish Society of Pulmonology and Thoracic Surgery (Separ) has not yet verified this increase in cases. According to Francisco Sanz, one of its members, “especially since it happens in the winter, and this year there was more influenza, coronavirus and respiratory syncytial virus at the same time.”
“When viruses have passed this time, we can actually find infections with bacteria such as pneumococcus. It is purely circumstantial and we are now moving towards a better environmental time.” This also indicates that it is better to vaccinate patients at risk, and that no special measures will be taken at the present time to counter this increase.
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