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Rodent Droppings Shut Two Family Health Units in Gafanha da Nazaré Until Friday: Where Patients Should Go

The USF Atlântico Norte and USF Beira Ria in Gafanha da Nazaré (Ílhavo) are closed until at least Friday 23 October after signs of rodents. Where registered patients with an acute illness should go, and what happens to booked appointments.

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Written in English, with the help of AI tools, from the Portuguese sources named in this story. How we work

Rodent Droppings Shut Two Family Health Units in Gafanha da Nazaré Until Friday: Where Patients Should Go
Photo: Vitor Oliveira, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Two family health units in Gafanha da Nazaré, in the municipality of Ílhavo (Aveiro district), are closed until at least Friday 23 October after staff found droppings and urine suggesting rodents in the buildings. The Unidade Local de Saúde da Região de Aveiro (ULSRA), which runs both units, said the USF Atlântico Norte and the USF Beira Ria are shut "for preventive reasons", and that the situation will be reassessed on Friday.

The closure began on Wednesday 21 October, Observador reported, citing Lusa. The ULSRA notice covers Thursday 22 and Friday 23 October.

What happened

According to the ULSRA, staff at the two units spotted the signs and immediately alerted Ílhavo municipality and the ULSRA's clinical directorate for primary care. The council called in the company responsible for pest control, which has started assessing the buildings and treating them. The ULSRA's own Public Health Unit also inspected the premises.

The decision to close was taken by the ULSRA board, acting through Dr Lara Sutil, the clinical director for primary care, together with the Public Health Unit. The measures so far include capture devices inside and outside the buildings and the sealing of possible entry points. The ULSRA said the priority was the safety of patients and staff and the continuity of care.

Where patients should go in the meantime

The ULSRA has set out the following arrangements for registered patients while the two units are closed:

  • USF Atlântico Norte patients with an acute illness: go to the Centro de Saúde de Ílhavo (its SAC service), open from 8:00 to 16:00.
  • USF Beira Ria patients with an acute illness: go to the USF Beira Ria's own satellite health post in Costa Nova, open from 8:00 to 20:00.
  • Booked appointments: patients will be contacted, either to be seen at another unit or to have the appointment cancelled and rebooked later.
  • Anything else: the ULSRA asks patients to contact their unit by email where possible.

The two health teams are also holding telephone consultations and other remote care from the ULSRA's central premises.

For health advice at any hour, the SNS 24 line on 808 24 24 24 remains available, and in an emergency call 112. For help with SNS digital services in person, there is also the national network of walk-in SNS 24 counters, which reached 464 this month.

What happens next

The ULSRA will carry out a new assessment of the buildings on Friday 23 October, and it has not yet said when the units will reopen. Patients registered at either unit should check the ULSRA news page before going in on Friday or the following Monday.

The closure comes as family health units are already under strain. A survey of unit coordinators published this month found satisfaction with the primary care reform down to 26 percent, and health centres are seeing a larger share of respiratory infection visits as autumn sets in.

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