Since the beginning of December, doctors have been warning of the onset and then a slight increase in influenza. Recommendations are strengthening immunity, hydration, hand hygiene, and in case the temperature lasts longer than four days, seeking advice from a family medicine doctor.
There is also COVID
The help of doctors was also requested for injuries from falls, and their number is more difficult to determine, because they turned to different institutions for assistance. UKC Tuzla records a 30 percent increase in injuries, while the Ministry of Health of the KS claims that there was no increase in the number of injuries in Canton Sarajevo.
The situation is similar in other parts of the country, doctors are seeing an increased number of sick and feverish patients, as well as those who have suffered fractures or sprains due to falls.
– Currently, the activity of the flu virus, but also of other respiratory viruses, has increased in the Tuzla Canton, primarily the respiratory syncytial virus COVID, which further worsens the epidemiological situation and leads to a greater influx of patients. In primary level health care institutions, but also in the reception departments of the clinics for infectious and children’s diseases of the University Medical Center Tuzla, Dr. Jasmina Brkić-Džambic from the Institute of Public Health of TK.
He adds that since the beginning of the season, around 18,000 patients with acute respiratory infections and around 2,000 patients with flu-like diseases have been registered.
– In the last week, we also had four deaths in elderly patients, in whom, along with other comorbidities, the presence of the influenza type A virus was laboratory confirmed, Džambic reminded.
Last week, the Institute for Public Health of the FBiH warned that they record about 10,000 cases of respiratory infections on a weekly basis.
Oscillations in temperature create ideal conditions for the spread of the virus, primarily due to the reduction of the organism’s resistance and more favorable conditions for its survival in the environment.
– Sudden changes in temperature lead to stress on the body, a drop in immunity and disturbances in the thermoregulation of the mucous membrane of the respiratory tract. This leads to an increased frequency of colds and flu and a faster spread of respiratory infections in the population. Factors favoring this are frequent stays in closed spaces, poor ventilation, close contacts, says internist Emir Zećo.
From the Headquarters of the Civil Protection of the KS, they claim that from January 4 to 13, the vital functions of society in the Sarajevo Canton functioned, albeit in difficult conditions.
– The headquarters noted, like all the representatives of the municipal headquarters, that there were no legal conditions and no need to declare a state of natural disaster in the municipalities, and thus in the Canton, they stated from the Headquarters and said that the KUCZ and the municipal services of the CZ will pay special attention to monitoring the state of the water level in the areas that are most threatened by floods due to rising temperatures.
Summarizing the consequences
The Headquarters also claim that there has been no increase in the number of injuries with fractures caused by snow and ice in KS. In recent days, Tuzla was also faced with heavy snowfalls, which significantly hampered traffic and the daily functioning of the city. Although the Winter Maintenance Operational Plan foresees the cleaning of around 500 kilometers of roads, due to the intensity of the rainfall, the intervention teams had to act multiple times.
– So far, a total of about 2,000 kilometers of roads have been cleaned, while some roads have been cleaned several times, said Miralem Mulać, assistant to the mayor, adding that more than 250 tons of sprinkler material were used for the maintenance of roads and public areas.
In Tuzla, too, they are planning to draw up a new operational plan for the city’s winter maintenance, which will cover a greater number of road routes and enable more efficient and faster response in winter conditions, writes Liberation.
