It’s the peak of the new semester, beware of this virus! Many places have issued warnings!

Recently, the COVID-19 epidemic situation in China has become more stable, and the overall positive trend continues to consolidate. Experts remind that winter and spring are the peak seasons for various respiratory infectious diseases. In addition to the new coronavirus and influenza, some other pathogens can also attack the human respiratory tract and lungs, and prevention and treatment are also necessary. With the start of school approaching, we need to be vigilant against common childhood infectious diseases such as norovirus, mumps, measles, and rubella.

01

4 students from a high school

Norovirus infection

Norovirus, also known as Norwalk virus, is one of the common non-bacterial pathogens that causes acute gastroenteritis. It is more common in cold seasons and is mainly transmitted through contact and digestive tract secretions. Because norovirus is highly contagious, it often causes collective outbreaks in schools, childcare institutions, etc.

According to the Hangzhou Daily, the reporter learned from the Shaoxing Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention in Zhejiang that not long after the start of this semester, the center handled an outbreak of Norovirus infection in the school.

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"A few days ago, we received four patients with norovirus acute gastroenteritis, all of whom were students from the same high school."

Bao Yuquan, director of the Public Health Department of the Shaoxing University of Arts and Sciences Hospital, who helped deal with the norovirus outbreak, said, "It's not just children who are susceptible to infection, people of all ages are susceptible to infection."

02

Doctor: Generally after school starts

There may be a small peak of infection

At Hangzhou Xiaoshan Hospital, pediatrician Wang Baofeng told reporters, "Currently, Xiaoshan has not seen a group infection of norovirus. Most cases are sporadic, and the number of patients with obvious gastrointestinal discomfort like norovirus who seek treatment is not large."

Dr. Wang said, "But based on past experience, generally after school starts, as children have more opportunities to come into contact with each other, there may be a small peak in norovirus infection. "

It is reported that the incubation period of norovirus gastroenteritis infection is mostly 24 to 48 hours, with an acute onset, and the main symptoms are vomiting and diarrhea. The course of the disease is usually 1-3 days, and a few can reach 5 days. The younger the age, the longer the course of the disease. Vomiting is common in children, and diarrhea is common in adults.

In addition, Norovirus is a self-limiting disease and there is no specific antiviral drug yet. If infected, remember not to take antibiotics blindly. Generally, symptomatic treatment is required, and stopping vomiting, stopping diarrhea, and preventing dehydration are the key.

03

How to protect yourself in daily life?

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Maintaining good hand hygiene is the most important and effective measure to prevent norovirus infection and control the spread of norovirus. Wash your hands correctly according to the 6-step hand washing method before meals and after defecation, using soap and running water for at least 20 seconds. It should be noted that disinfectant wipes and rinse-free hand disinfectants cannot replace hand washing (according to standard procedures).

If a family member is infected with norovirus, the sick family member should try not to have close contact with other healthy family members, especially avoid cooking or taking care of the elderly and infants.

Wash fruits and vegetables carefully and cook food properly, especially ensure that foods with a high risk of norovirus infection, such as shellfish, are thoroughly cooked.

It is best for patients with Norovirus gastroenteritis to actively isolate themselves at home until 2 days after the symptoms completely disappear (because the patient still excretes a small amount of toxins after the symptoms completely disappear) to avoid infecting other people, especially those working in the service industry and collective institutions, such as chefs, caregivers, school and kindergarten teachers.

When an outbreak or cluster of Norovirus gastroenteritis occurs, comprehensive disinfection should be carried out, focusing on disinfecting the surfaces of environmental objects, daily necessities, food processing tools, drinking water, etc. that have been contaminated by patients' vomit, feces and other pollutants. The most commonly used disinfectants are chlorine-containing disinfectants.

04

Human respiratory syncytial virus (HRSV)

Gradually attracting attention

In addition, winter and spring are the peak seasons for various respiratory infectious diseases. In addition to the new coronavirus, some other pathogens can also attack the human respiratory tract and lungs, such as influenza virus and human respiratory syncytial virus, and prevention and treatment are also required. On February 10, the China Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a Q&A on the prevention and treatment of human respiratory syncytial virus (HRSV) infection, introducing authoritative knowledge about the HRSV virus.

According to information released by the Health Communication Center of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, HRSV is an RNA virus of the Pneumoviridae family and the Orthopenivirus genus. After HRSV infection, the incubation period is usually 2-8 days, and the clinical manifestations are mainly respiratory tract infection symptoms. Early HRSV infection is mostly limited to the upper respiratory tract, with clinical manifestations such as nasal congestion, runny nose, cough and hoarseness.

Most symptoms of children infected with HRSV will disappear on their own within 1-2 weeks. A small number may develop lower respiratory tract infections, mainly manifested as bronchiolitis or pneumonia, which are more common in infants under 2 years old. Clinical symptoms include coughing and wheezing. In very rare cases, the symptoms may further worsen and develop shortness of breath and feeding difficulties. Severe cases may develop into respiratory failure.

A pediatric emergency doctor is inputting case information at Xinhua Hospital affiliated to Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine. Source: Xinhua News Agency

"For children, we need to pay attention to the impact caused by respiratory syncytial virus infection." Xu Wenbo, director of the Institute of Viral Diseases of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said that people of all ages can be infected with HRSV, but the high-risk groups for HRSV infection are mainly concentrated in children, the elderly and people with impaired immune function.

In terms of transmission routes, both symptomatic HRSV carriers and asymptomatic latent carriers can spread the virus, usually through the following routes: first, contact transmission, such as contact between the nasopharyngeal mucosa or ocular mucosa with secretions or contaminants containing the virus; second, close contact with patients coughing or sneezing, etc. Gao Zhancheng, director of the Department of Respiratory Medicine at Peking University People's Hospital, said that for prevention of susceptible populations, attention should be paid to washing hands frequently, avoiding touching the eyes, mouth, and nose with unclean hands, developing good personal hygiene habits, wearing masks in a timely manner, and reducing access to crowded places.

05

The school encourages students to actively participate

Low-intensity outdoor activities

With the start of school approaching, the Beijing Center for Disease Control and Prevention reminds: Schools should comprehensively investigate the infection situation of teachers and students, establish a new coronavirus infection ledger, and organize a safe and orderly return to school.

Beijing Center for Disease Control and Prevention reminds: teachers, students and staff should take personal protection when going to and from school or work by public transportation. Do not touch your mouth, eyes, nose, etc. with unsterilized hands during the ride. During the school period, children in childcare and primary and secondary school students should cooperate with the school to do morning, noon (evening) inspections. Teachers, students and staff of colleges and universities should do self-tests of their health every day. If they have symptoms or seek medical treatment, they should report to the class and school infectious disease reporter in time. After returning home or receiving express delivery, do a good job of hand hygiene. When the air condition is good, open the window for ventilation at least 2 to 3 times a day, each time for no less than half an hour.

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Schools should comprehensively survey the infection status of teachers and students, establish a COVID-19 infection record, understand the COVID-19 infection rate and vaccination rate of teachers and students in the school, and organize an orderly and safe return to school. Beijing Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that schools dynamically reserve a certain amount of commonly used medicines, COVID-19 antigen detection reagents, masks, disinfectants and other commonly used epidemic prevention materials, and regularly check whether the materials are within the validity period.

Primary and secondary schools and childcare institutions must strictly implement the morning, afternoon (evening) inspection, infectious disease reporting and absence due to illness system, check the mental state and health of all students and children in childcare, and send them to the health observation room for further investigation and treatment if they have 11 symptoms such as fever. Schools should conduct self-inspections of the teaching environment, thoroughly clean classrooms, libraries, canteens, dormitories, toilets, air conditioners and other places where students study and live, and strictly implement ventilation and disinfection systems.

In addition, schools should ensure that students have enough time for outdoor activities. At the beginning of the school year, it is recommended to guide students to actively participate in low-intensity outdoor activities, and gradually increase the exercise load according to the health conditions of students. While ensuring safety, students should ensure that they have at least 2 hours of outdoor activities every day.

Source: Beijing Evening News, Hangzhou Daily, China News Service, Xinhua News Agency

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