Nearly 90% of patients have AH3N1 flu, said Chief State Health Inspector Assoc. Prof. Angel Kunchev in "This Sunday" on bTv. In his words, he would not define it as a "super flu", because it has no different characteristics from the main infection, except that it is transmitted more easily.
According to him, "such is the season" – Respiratory viruses start in mid-October, but when the flu enters, it is very contagious and predominates among the sick.
"It affects more people, the epidemic is a little more intense, but in terms of course – the claims of high hospitalization and mortality have not been confirmed. Romanian colleagues reported 10-11 deaths, but we have deaths from the flu every year. In Sofia alone, there are about 10 thousand patients daily, of course this is a big pressure on the health system“, said Kunchev.
He commented that because of the holidays there are no real statistics on flu patients.
"At the end of last week, 240 samples were tested – 68 of them were AH3N1, total dominance. Only 6 – COVID and only 4-5 of the other variant – H1N1 and several rhinoviruses. Therefore, the examination is not necessary. Symptoms appear from 3-4 hours to 1-2 days. Short incubation period and abrupt onset - fever and poor general condition. You yourself understand that you are sick,“ Kunchev pointed out.
The expert explained that if the mucous membrane of the throat is “supercooled“, it is “more hospitable“. The flu begins with a dry throat and irritation, then comes the cough - dry and barking.
“First, we take measures not to infect other people. Trying to work in this state is counterproductive. We stay at home, I would not make an appointment with a doctor right away and wait outside the office, you can also do the consultation by phone. The most important thing is to take an antiviral drug, it only affects its reproduction and stops it from entering the cell. All others for cough and fever are symptomatic – only relieve“, he also pointed out.
Kunchev added that the key is the early intake of the antiviral medication and if its use begins on the first or second day – the effect is very good and the infection passes faster. According to him, antibiotics are prescribed if there are complications.
According to him, the peak is expected at the end of January, but he expects some areas to reach epidemic levels next week.
He also said that the flu vacation does not stop the epidemic, but when the infection reaches certain levels – it is already too late: “If 30% of the children are absent, whether we will close the school is still the same, because the educational process has failed“.
Regarding the preventive intake of medication, according to him it is possible, but only for risk groups – chronically ill and elderly people, in whom the flu would complicate the general condition.
In Bulgaria we have quality healthcare. There are several options if we want to develop in conditions of a deficit of funds. This was stated by neurosurgeon Prof. Nikolay Gabrovski.
He commented on the different options in his opinion.
"One option is to increase contributions - what we all give in order to have more money in the system. The other option is to wait longer - we delay the service and waiting lists form for non-emergency cases, which are characteristic of absolutely all of Western Europe. The third option is to reduce the quality of the service. These are basic economic mechanisms from which we will have to choose what exactly we want - to give more money through insurance or co-payments, to delay the service or to reduce the quality. Bulgaria's social orientation will be preserved and we will find a mechanism for this to happen in one of these ways, without patients actually suffering," he told Bulgaria ON AIR.
Bulgaria is known to be the country with the lowest relative percentage that people spend on healthcare, the specialist also noted and specified: "Bulgaria is the country with the lowest absolute value of the money that is collected and spent on healthcare".
Prof. Gabrovski also commented on the topic of public procurement by hospitals. He was categorical that hospitals do not have mechanisms and functions with which to check companies.
"Years ago, when the prices of some food in a state hospital that should be the target of an attack were very low, someone would come out and say: "The prices are very low, the sick are fed very poorly, you can't live on such food." If by chance the prices were high, they would say: "The prices are very high, there is a cartel, someone is abusing it." That is, no matter what you do, you are always to blame. In any case, there have been practices in the past that have gone through food and other important units, structures and activities. And there has been corruption, there is no reason to turn a blind eye. But we should not make generalizations that it is ubiquitous and we should not speak generally about all hospitals, because that is simply not correct. When someone has "stepped on the onion," let them be named and bear responsibility," the specialist urged.