Understand the differences between respiratory diseases and arboviruses | F5 News

Arboviruses, as diseases transmitted by mosquitoes are called, and respiratory diseases, transmitted through droplets or aerosols dispersed in the air, despite being distinct, have similar symptoms. Knowing the importance of recognizing the symptoms of each of these diseases, the City of Aracaju, through the Municipal Health Secretariat (SMS), guides the population on how they manifest themselves, in addition to informing how, when and where to seek health services. Municipal health.

SMS infectious disease doctor, Fabrízia Tavares, explains that diseases transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, such as dengue, zika and chikungunya, are examples of arboviruses that manifest with similar symptoms. Therefore, the population needs to be aware and know the differences between them.

According to the doctor, dengue, for example, presents symptoms such as high fever, headache, body and joint pain, weakness, pain behind the eyes, nausea, vomiting and itching on the body. Chikungunya, despite symptoms similar to dengue fever, manifests itself with more intense pain in the joints; Zika, in turn, has red spots on the body, itching, low fever and headache as its characteristic symptoms.

“We are experiencing a delicate moment with many challenges, because we are going through an epidemic, with outbreaks of arboviruses, mainly cases of dengue in several states of the country. In addition to the seasonal period, there are also climate issues, with an increase in cases of flu and respiratory syndromes. All of this makes the process challenging, especially for health professionals when conducting and diagnosing it. Therefore, it is essential that the population is alert and has a minimum amount of knowledge about which disease they may be suffering from,” he says. Fabrízia.

The doctor also reinforces that diseases such as flu and covid-19 can present symptoms similar to arboviruses, but what will differentiate are respiratory symptoms, such as coughing, sneezing, nasal congestion, associated with sore throat, in addition to body pain, fever , headache, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea. “The cutoff point for knowing whether you have the flu or Covid is whether you are experiencing respiratory symptoms. These viruses, which are transmitted through the air, cause respiratory symptoms, while viral diseases, transmitted by mosquitoes, mainly cause pain in the body and joints”, adds the infectious disease doctor, Fabrízia Tavares.

Service

With the arrival of the rainy season and the temperature variations recorded in the capital of Sergipe, respiratory diseases and infections, such as rhinitis, sinusitis, flu and colds, are more present in the population, especially in children. In case of symptoms, it is important that the population seeks one of the flu syndrome care points available at municipal public health, as well as the Aracaju Flu Syndrome Care and Screening Center, located in the Coroa do Meio neighborhood, the Health Unit of the Family (USF) closest to your residence or the emergency department.

The Triage Center is an equipment structured by the Department of Health to guarantee the population an additional service, that is, in addition to having the Family Health Units (USF), people with symptoms of flu-like syndromes can go to this equipment. Another important point regarding the Center is that it helps to relieve the burden on the Fernando Franco and Nestor Piva municipal hospitals. Many people with flu-like symptoms end up filling hospitals with situations that can be treated in health units and, mainly, in the Triage Center that was created for this purpose.

The director of Health Care at SMS, Janaína Cavalcante, explains that the service should be accessed if the person has symptoms such as sore throat, cough, sneezing, runny nose, fever and body pain. According to her, this search for care is essential to have the necessary treatment and guidance, including to have the correct diagnosis. During the service, in addition to undergoing screening and medical consultation, the user can count on medication being dispensed, when prescribed, and a Covid-19 test, according to the doctor’s instructions.

“It is important to highlight that each disease is treated in a different way and that is why diagnosis is essential, especially so that people do not self-medicate and end up worsening their condition. Therefore, we warn people to seek medical attention. Another warning we make is that we have recorded an increase in the number of cases of flu syndromes, however, milder cases that could be treated in health units or at the Care Center end up in hospitals and overcrowding these places. Therefore, we draw the population’s attention to this. only seek hospitals in more serious cases or on the recommendation of the doctor at the health unit or the Care Center”, says Janaína.