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15 October 2020The Influnet epidemiological surveillance begins, which this year due to the pandemic will have to monitor, in addition to influenza and flu-like syndromes, also Covid-19.
Sentinel doctors who adhere to surveillance, after telephone triage, will report to the ASL their patients who report symptoms similar to seasonal flu or / and Sarscov2.
At this point the ASL of reference will carry out the swab on the sample of patients reported in order to detect at the same time the influenza virus or sarscov2 infection.
In addition, more sentinel doctors will be enrolled, to reach a coverage of at least 4% of the regional population.
The operational protocol published by the Ministry of Health and the Higher Institute of Health (ISS) provides for this.
"The swab will be unique, and this is what was normally done in recent years within the Influnet surveillance.
Since the symptoms of influenza and covid-19 are similar, the swab will be used twice to detect the presence of the viruses of both. diseases ", Antonino Di Bella, of the ISS infectious diseases department and editor of the Influnet bulletin, explains to Ansa.
However, the swab will no longer be performed by the sentinel doctor (general practitioners and paediatricians of free choice) but by the competent ASL to which the doctor belongs.
The regional reference laboratories for the Influnet network will do the analysis.
Another novelty of the protocol will be the strengthening of surveillance with the enrollment of more sentinel doctors, in order to guarantee the monitoring of the syndromes on at least 4% of the regional population.
up to the last few years the sentinel doctors were about 1500 and the population to be monitored was 2%.
This year, therefore, a double effort will be needed.
surveillance started on 12 October and will last until 25 April 2021.