PEC director Dr Khalid al-Ansari
By Noimot Olayiwola/Staff Reporter
There has been a significant upsurge in the number of flu cases being seen at the Paediatric Emergency Centre in Al Saad since October last year, a top health official has said.
The Paediatric Emergency Centre in Al Saad is now receiving daily up to 1,700 cases relating to seasonal flu, cough and common cold, which usually peak during this period of the year. Otherwise, on an average, the centre receives between 1,200-1,300 cases every day.
“It’s the season and the time of the year when we have viral infections. The viruses start to be more active as the weather changes and that is when the children start to get the viruses and have the infections. And that’s why we have a lot of cases nowadays as the number of patients we see daily is escalating,” PEC director Dr Khalid al-Ansari told Gulf Times in an interview.
“The flu season normally starts around October but it peaks around this time and continues until February before it starts going down again. This is the trend that we see usually every year. So, this period is the peak and we see a surge in the number of cases being seen at the PECs,” he noted.
The official said that influenza is a very common virus around this time and it has been known to cause morbidity and deaths worldwide as well as significant diseases in children and even adults.
“That is why we recommend the yearly influenza vaccine for everyone. Usually, the vaccination starts by October-November each year. And, I think it is a bit late to go for vaccines now,” he clarified.
According to Dr al-Ansari, the viral infection is more common in children less than two years and cases are more severe and significant among one-year-olds as they tend to contract a certain type of virus that goes to the lung and cause sinus infections as their (one-year-old children) immunity is not strong.
“This certain virus also causes bronchiolitis and when it happens in young children, it can cause prolonged coughing that can last two-to three weeks with, around 10% of them needing hospital admission and some might need to be admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU), especially preterm and those less than few months old,” he explained.
In older children, he said the virus affects the upper respiratory tract and the extent of the infection depends on the virulence of the virus…that is, how strong is the virus, the immunity and body of the patients if they have any underlying problems.
“So, in children older than two years, the upper respiratory infection usually causes simple flu symptoms with cough, some can cause broncholitis. It can and last two-three weeks or may be longer if the child is prone to asthma or has underlying history of asthma,” the physician explained.
However, he clarified that there is no irregular virus circulating in the community.
“We have not seen any new virus at the PECs. It is the regular viruses that we usually see. It is only the strength of the viruses that change from year to year. This year, it seems to be of average strength so far as we didn’t need to admit a lot of people to the ICU,” he noted.
The official also admitted a surge in cases of pneumonia due to the change in weather.
“It is not uncommon to see cases of pneumonia during this time, especially due to inflammation of the lung, which may require administering antibiotics. But a majority of the pneumonia cases are simple and can be treated with oral antibiotics at home,” he said.
However, Dr al-Ansari mentioned that around 15-20% of affected children might need to stay at the Paediatric Emergency for a while and receive IV antibiotics adding that some might need supplemental oxygen until their lungs start recovering from infection.
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