Porto Alegre Conjunctivitis: Symptoms & Prevention
Here’s a summary of the key facts from the provided text about the recent increase in conjunctivitis cases:
* Increase in Cases: Banco de Olhos São Pietro Hospital reported around 1,300 cases of conjunctivitis in October, a 20% increase compared to previous months.Experts believe this could be an outbreak.
* Types of conjunctivitis: Conjunctivitis can be viral, bacterial, or allergic. Viral conjunctivitis is highly contagious.
* Transmission: Spread through contact with eye secretions (tears) or contaminated surfaces/objects (towels, pillows, cell phones). Viruses can survive on surfaces for a long time.
* Recent Trends: Cases dropped during the pandemic due to increased hygiene, then returned to normal.The current increase is higher than expected.
* Possible Causes:
* Seasonal Increase: Conjunctivitis is common this time of year, especially allergic types.
* Respiratory Diseases: The increase may be linked to the rise in other respiratory illnesses (colds, flu) as they are often caused by the same viruses (like adenovirus adn enterovirus).
* Viral Mutations/Unknown Factors: Mutations or other unknown factors could be contributing to greater virus circulation.
* Diagnosis: Conjunctivitis is diagnosed clinically based on symptoms; lab confirmation isn’t usually needed.
* Symptoms:
* Red eye
* Foreign body sensation