Authorities from the Provincial Center for Hygiene, Epidemiology and Microbiology (CPHEM) have reported more than 9,500 cases of nonspecific fever so far this year in the province of Sancti Spíritus.
This figure exceeds by approximately 2,000 the one registered in the same period of 2023, indicates a report from the local radio station. This increase is causing concern in central Cuba.
According to the CPHEM, the first cases of Oropouche fever In the province, they were diagnosed following analyzing samples sent to the national reference laboratory of the Pedro Kourí Institute of Tropical Medicine (IPK) in Havana.
The initial infections were specifically detected in the Popular Council of Santa Lucía, health area number 1 of Cabaiguán, and in Colón, the southern area of the main city, reported journalist Arelys García Acosta.
The article stresses the need for the population to seek immediate medical attention if symptoms such as fever, diarrhoea, vomiting, general malaise, as well as muscle, headache and joint pain appear. In fact, it is suspected that official statistics are far from reality.
Symptoms and complications of Oropouche fever
The symptoms of Oropouche Fever, in particular, have similarities with those of dengue, a disease that has caused fatalities in previous years in Sancti Spíritus.
“Although cases with complications are rare, specialists warn that among the possible complications is the development of aseptic meningitis. Therefore, any precaution should be considered insufficient,” the text states. This is nothing more than a disease in which the tissues that cover the brain and spinal cord become inflamed.
The state media acknowledges that the situation is aggravated by the limited availability of painkillers and antipyretics in Cuba, which makes the treatment of symptoms even more difficult.
They also reiterate that without effective sanitation and the elimination of mosquito breeding sites, Oropouche fever and dengue will continue to be a constant threat to the population.
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