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The Wuhan coronavirus may soon reach our country. Hospitals with infectious diseases wards expect increased admissions of patients. For several days now, the media has been providing information about other people suspected of being infected. Their numbers increased after a large coronavirus outbreak was detected in Italy. So the question arises whether the Polish health care system is prepared for an epidemic.
- The new coronavirus, which is already in several European countries, may reach Poland at any time
- According to national and provincial consultants in the field of infectious diseases, the virus is relatively harmless, has a low infectious potential, and the Polish health care system works better than the Chinese one and is ready to deal with the epidemic
- The data of the Supreme Medical Chamber show, however, that there is a shortage of infectious doctors in Poland
- – I think we are ready for the coronavirus – said in an interview with Medonet Dr. Paweł Rajewski, MD, a provincial consultant for infectious diseases
2019-nCoV virus – the epidemic is approaching Poland
The dangerous 2019-nCoV coronavirus is spreading around the world. From China, it has already reached over 40 countries, including over a dozen European countries. In recent days, Italy has become the biggest source of the virus on our continent, where over 300 people fell ill. According to the latest epidemiological data, the infection was detected in a total of over 80. people. The Minister of Health predicts that sooner or later the virus will also be found in Poland.
They are already in the country coronavirus diagnostic testswhich make it possible to check whether people suspected of having been infected have actually contracted an infection – without the need to send samples to laboratories in Germany. Patients with disturbing symptoms visit hospital wards in all voivodeships all the time. There are over 25 Poles under the observation of the Chief Sanitary Inspectorate, according to data from February 16 (1000 p.m.). 25 patients were hospitalized and 18 at home quarantine. 992 people were subject to epidemiological supervision (123 are Chinese citizens). A 24-hour duty has been started at the Main Sanitary Inspectorate.
Border sanitary and epidemiological stations monitor passengers using the airports on an ongoing basis, travelers receive location cards to fill in, and the anxiety related to the epidemic means that pharmacies are already running out of medical masks. In the face of collective hysteria, the ministry and GIS are constantly reassuring: the flu is a greater threat to Poland than the coronavirus.
Also read: The most dangerous epidemics that broke out in 2019. Will infectious diseases take an even greater toll in 2020?
Are there enough infectious agents?
As the example of the Wuhan virus shows, we may be surprised by outbreaks of previously unknown pathogens at any time. Meanwhile, the data of the Central Register of Doctors of the Republic of Poland kept by the Supreme Medical Chamber show that there are no infectious agents in hospitals. The number of specialists in this field in Poland is slightly over a thousand, but only 946 doctors work in the profession, which is on average 2,5 per 100 thousand. residents.
This is reflected in the long lines at the infectious disease clinics and clinics. The latest WHC Barometer, a report on the availability of guaranteed health services, says that There are currently an average of 2,8 months for benefits in the field of infectious diseases. Due to the lack of infectious diseases, smaller hospitals are closing their clinics and there is no indication that any change would take place, as the interest of young doctors in this specialization has been very low for years. It offers limited opportunities for private practice, and besides the fact that it essentially “condemns” people to unwillingly chosen work in a hospital, it is also associated with constant exposure to biological hazards.
See also: A record was broken. The lines to see the doctors weren’t that long yet
Three possible epidemic scenarios
Viruses spread rapidly, as can be seen, for example, in Italy, towards which the eyes of all Europe are now turned. Pathogens work faster than humans. Although scientists have joined forces to stop the coronavirus (they are in the process of creating a vaccine), the effects of their actions will have to wait at least a few months. Prof. Andrzej Horban, a national consultant in the field of infectious diseases, argues that SARS-CoV-2 is not as dangerous as it might seem. In an interview published by Medexpress, he outlines three scenarios related to the spread of the new coronavirus:
First, it may be a relatively mild epidemic. This means that – as in the case of flu – 0,5–1 percent will die. patients. We have a well-functioning health care system compared to China. It is a public system. Access to doctors is much easier, and the medical care system is relatively similar to the systems of Western European countries. Therefore, we expect that the percentage of people dying will be relatively lower.
Second, it may be that the epidemic will be confined to that region or to single outbreaks in China and neighboring countries. We will forget about this virus in three months.
Third, the virus may mutate more and become more virulent than before. In this situation, we have a milder variant – the virus will probably be extinct due to the fact that there will be fewer people who are the source of new viruses, i.e. who are the host of the virus.
Unjustified panic?
As emphasized by prof. Andrzej Horban, most hospitals in Poland have isolation rooms for patients with infectious diseases. Wojciech Andrusiewicz, the press spokesman of the Minister of Health, informed Medonet that there is a total of 85 healthcare entities with infectious wards, with over 2 beds.
– Procedures for continuous monitoring of the number of beds in infectious disease departments, intensive care stations and intensive care units were launched. A list of extracorporeal circulation devices (ECMO) and transport insulators is compiled. The epidemiological situation related to the coronavirus in China has so far not been of a nature that would require the introduction of an epidemic state in Poland – added Andrusiewicz.
The Ministry of Health, in cooperation with the National Health Fund, has prepared a list of institutions where help can be obtained in the event of suspected infection. It has also developed a laboratory diagnostic algorithm for people who may have developed an infection.
Will the Polish system cope with the SARS-CoV-2 virus when it appears in Poland? We asked Dr. Paweł Rajewski, MD, a provincial infectious disease consultant for the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship about it.
– I think we are ready for the coronavirus because he is it does not require high isolation, i.e. isolation with negative negative pressure and special highly infectious salamisuch as, for example, with some hemorrhagic fever or the Ebola virus. The infectious potential of this virus is less than, for example, that of the measles virus. We have enough hospitals for infectious diseases. Coronavirus does not require specialized treatment methods, so in an epidemic situation, patients can be hospitalized in any hospital, if they are provided with isolation, i.e. a separate room with a sanitary regime. Each doctor can look after such a patient if he is equipped with personal protective equipment, i.e. disposable gowns, masks, caps and glasses. So far, we do not have drugs for the coronavirus, so treatment is symptomatic.
As Dr. Rajewski reminds us, that one could talk about suspected Wuhan coronavirus infectioncertain conditions must be met. People who came into contact with the sick person within 14 days or stayed in the place where the virus was present (especially in Wuhan or Hubei province) and who have the following clinical symptoms are at risk: sudden fever above 38 degrees, dry cough, chest pain and complaints indicating for pneumonia. The first thing to consider, however, is the flu.
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