The Spanish Ministry of Health recalls the importance of hand hygiene and masks for the prevention of contagion in the face of the increase in cases of covid, influenza A and respiratory syncytial virus.
A couple of weeks ago, the news broke in different media that an audit of experts warned of another upcoming pandemic in Spain, claiming that “we have learned little” and unfortunately” little progress has been made to prevent the new pandemic from being as “devastating” as the previous one.
Four years have passed since the beginning of the pandemic, however, as 2024 has just entered, it seems that it is necessary to continue reminding ourselves of the importance of hand hygiene for the prevention of respiratory infections.
So much so that the cold weather and the increase in social gatherings at Christmas have led to a spike in cases of covid, influenza A and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), which experts have called a ‘tripledemic’, a situation that is beginning to be alarming.
The incidence rate of acute respiratory diseases in Spain stood at 908.6 cases per 100,000 inhabitants a few days ago, which represents an increase of 12.7% compared to the previous week. This is confirmed by the latest report from the Spanish Carlos III Health Institute, which also details that the positivity of the flu has increased from 20% to 25% this week compared to the previous week.
This situation has forced the Spanish Ministry of Health to remind us of the importance of hand washing and the use of masks to prevent possible contagion, as the health authorities point to the maximum level of infections coming within two or three weeks.
Faced with these data, the mandatory use of masks in primary care centres and hospitals is being raised again, and even beds are being made available in social health centres and admissions to private hospitals if necessary.
At LOSDI we insist on the need to educate society on the importance of proper hand hygiene for a healthier and longer life, especially for children and the elderly, who make up the most vulnerable groups of people to this type of infection.
