In the DIÁRIO- Saúde section, doctor João Miguel Freitas explained how coughing works and what signs we should be aware of, at a time when Covid-19 and influenza A infections have increased in Madeira.
It has been officially summer for exactly 21 days now, but the uncertain weather and the off-season ‘peak’ of flu and respiratory infections leave us with the feeling that we are going through autumn, where no matter where we are, someone is coughing.
In the section on the DIÁRIO channel, doctor João Miguel Freitas addressed the topic, immediately explaining that whenever a cough lasts more than a week we should seek medical help, because this “is a symptom and even when it appears alone it is never separate from other situations”.
“We should not think that a cough is only the result of an infection. There are a range of situations that can condition the existence of a cough, such as allergic rhinitis, gastrointestinal and cardiac problems”, he stressed.
According to the specialist in internal medicine, “we have seen an increase in infections, whether by covid-19, influenza A and B or by the respiratory syncytial virus”, completely out of season.
Regarding the reasons that have triggered this increase, João Miguel Freitas believes that it may be a consequence of climate change, which has resulted in a sudden change in temperature, as well as the increased use of air conditioning to cool areas, “all aspects that favor greater contagion”.