Deaths in Colombia increase due to acute respiratory infections

The National Institute of Health (INS) announced that in the last epidemiological week there has been evidence of an increase in mortality in children under five years of age, associated with acute respiratory infections in the country.

The entity revealed that this week Ten deaths were reported probably associated with this disease, of the six of which were reported in recent days.

He said that the new ones cases were reported in Caqueta, Cordoba, Guainia, Guaviare, Huila, Nariño, North Santander and Vaupes.

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He also stressed that 1,204 cases of affected people were reported who were treated in outpatient clinics and emergencies,

“We see that by age groups, adults from 20 to 39 years old represent 30.6% (368,266)followed by those aged 40 to 59 with 19.3% (232,490),” the report says.

It also reveals that “the highest proportion of outpatient and emergency consultations for ARI out of the total number of consultations for all causes occurs in children aged 1 year with 12.8%, followed by children under 1 year of age with 11.5%.”

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He said that it is also worrying the increase in consultations in clinics and hospitals in the country. “In the endemic channel, outpatient consultations and emergencies due to ARI in the first four weeks of the year are above the established historical upper limit and from week (5) they are in the safety zone below the seasonal threshold,” he said.

He stressed that At the national level, 44,088 hospitalizations for Acute Respiratory Infection were reported (IRA) in the general ward, showing an increase compared to what was reported in the same week of 2021, with a variation of 7.8%, 21.9% compared to 2020 and 35.0% compared to 2019.