2023-07-02 20:31:00
The Ministry of Health of Peru (Minsa) reported this Sunday that there is “low availability” of immunoglobulin (antibodies) in the country, to deal with the cases of Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) that have arisen and led last week to issue an epidemiological alert.
“There is little availability of immunoglobulin in the country and it is not on the list of strategic health resources, so efforts are being made at the national level for its acquisition,” The Minsa said in a statement.
He added that also “It is coordinated internationally with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to obtain it.”
The treatment of GBS consists of the early administration of immunoglobulins and, as an alternative, plasmapheresis, a procedure with blood plasma that helps to eliminate the antibodies that attack the peripheral nervous system, the statement detailed.
Although there is no cure for this syndrome, “treatment can improve symptoms and shorten their duration”he added.
In this sense, he reported that until June 23, 103 cases of GBS were reported, a lower number than that reported in years prior to the outbreak of this disease in 2019, although between June 11 and 17 it had been reported “a slight increase” which reached 16 cases, higher than the average of the previous weeks, where between 2 and 8 cases were reported.
The Minsa recalled that last week it issued an epidemiological alert, with the aim that “epidemiological surveillance, prevention and response in health establishments, both public and private, should be intensified”.
“The Ministry of Health guarantees the care and clinical management of all hospitalized patients with Guillain-Barré syndrome”he concluded.
After the epidemiological alert was issued on June 27, the infectious disease doctor of the National Institute of Health (INS) Luis Pampas Espinoza explained that GBS is an immunological condition described as paralysis that results in progressive muscle weakness.
It usually starts with tingling and weakness in the feet and legs, and then spreads to the upper body and arms, where it can progress to paralysis.
At that time, it was reported that so far this year 108 cases were detected nationwide, while in 2022 225 cases were reported, with a weekly average of 4, in 2021 there were 210 and in 2020 there were 448.
EFE
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