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Health unions and associations have been demanding for weeks that Covid-19 be recognized as an occupational disease. In Spain, the disease that has already affected 48,320 health professionals is considered an occupational accident after a Health order from the end of April.

But international organizations such as the WHO have recognized the right of professionals to claim the change in regulation. Last weekend, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued an annex to the considerations that it had already made public and that were aimed at adopting measures to protect public health in the workplace. In addition to recommendations on risk assessment or prevention initiatives to reduce the risk of contagion, the agency notes that if contracted due to occupational exposure, Covid-19 and other diseases "could be considered professional diseases" .

For unions such as CESM, it is necessary that the regulation recognize the infection with the new coronavirus as an occupational disease since this would imply the obligation to periodically monitor the infected , monitor possible sequelae or secondary diseases and propose, in cases where if necessary, adaptations to the job.

On the other hand, in the case of an accident at work, the evolution of the disease is not monitored. When the worker is discharged, the process is terminated . Given that in the case of Covid-19 the long-term sequelae and complications that may result from the disease are not yet known for certain, it would be necessary to actively follow up on professional cases, the unions claim. In addition to CESM, Amyts or Workers' Commissions have also requested the change of consideration and that Covid-19 be considered as an occupational disease.

The unions have made a formal request to the Ministry of Health to introduce this consideration regarding the toilets as soon as possible into the regulations.

In reality, the union has pointed out, it would not even be necessary to create a new section in the list of occupational diseases collected by the National Health System to obtain this recognition. There are legal bases already established to carry it out, they stress.

This is also stated by José Manuel Vicente Prado, president of the Professional Association of Social Security Medical Inspectors.

Covid-19 in health personnel "is an occupational disease, as it is a disease caused as a result of work and as it is a disease included in the current Table of Professional Diseases," he points out.

And he adds: "the crisis caused by the pandemic and the declaration of the state of alarm gave rise to an extraordinary situation, with the adoption of exceptional measures by social security, but it is time for health workers to be victims of the pandemic. for having contracted the disease with a singular incidence while carrying out their work and with the deficient protection measures that singularly exposed them to contagion, their Work Disability, its consequences and other responsibilities derived from Covid-19 are considered as Professional Illness, addressing Social Security extraordinary measures for the change of the contingency as it proceeds in law ".

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