The Minister of Health admitted today that the peak of respiratory infections this winter may have already passed, showing that the country is going through a period of greater tranquility compared to the beginning of January.
«Despite everything, we are today, at the end of January, in a calmer situation than we were in the first days of the year. It is likely that the peak of respiratory infections this winter has already passed», said Manuel Pizarro.
At the end of the opening session of the II National Organ Donation Days, which take place today in Coimbra, the minister maintained that, despite the situation being calmer, it is necessary to continue monitoring the evolution of this winter's respiratory infections «step by step ».
Asked about the possibility of re-adopting the use of masks in health units, given the resurgence of infectious diseases, the Minister of Health indicated that such a decision depends on the technical recommendation of public health structures.
«I would say that it is something that will be examined on a case-by-case basis. At this moment, no justification has yet been found for this need, but it is something that is always under evaluation and that, in addition to everything else, can justify attitudes in one or another health unit, without the need for general action", he maintained.
To journalists, the government official stressed that all diseases deserve great attention, including infectious ones, reiterating the importance of vaccination.
«Very recently, we have seen cases of measles appear in Portugal, which always have the same characteristic: we are talking about Portuguese people who have emigrated to other countries, namely other European Union countries, where adherence to vaccination is no longer as high as ours. country and this shows the importance of vaccination», he claimed.
In his opinion, the case of the baby who was treated at Hospital Dona Estefânia, in Lisbon, and who has already been discharged, «is a warning to Portuguese parents about the potential seriousness of a case of measles».
“Measles is a disease that can be made to disappear, as long as we maintain very high levels of vaccination adherence, which fortunately we still have in Portugal, but which we no longer see in all European countries,” he warned.
Regarding tuberculosis, he recalled that, when the National Health Service began 45 years ago, «there were more than 100 cases per 100 inhabitants per year and today there are 14 cases per 100 inhabitants per year».
Despite Portugal registering "much fewer" cases, Manuel Pizarro stressed the need for the country to have "reinforced attention" in this matter, because of the "major demographic change in the country, which has become an immigration destination."
«I trust that we are able to organize our services, in such a way that we also have this attention in relation to tuberculosis and continue the positive path we have been on, avoiding a setback», he concluded.
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