The National Director of Hygiene and Epidemiology of the Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP), Dr. Francisco Durán, gave an update on the epidemiological situation in Cuba at a press conference on Wednesday.
The specialist highlighted the presence of the dengue and oropouche viruses in 12 and 15 provinces of the national territory, respectively.
Durán reported that suspected cases of dengue, transmitted by mosquitoes, have been detected Aedes aegyptiin 41 municipalities and 48 health areas.
Diagnoses of oropouche, a disease caused by mosquitoes of the genus, were also reported. Culex y Culicidaein 99 locations and 174 areas of the country.
The director specified that most suspected patients receive care at home through home admission, provided they do not present a critical clinical picture. The official version is that, to date, no serious cases or deaths have been reported from either of the two diseases.
The provinces of Pinar del Río, Artemisa, Havana, Sancti Spíritus and the special municipality of Isla de la Juventud registered a greater increase in the incidence rate of suspected cases of oropouche in the last week, Durán warned.
Epidemiological situation in Cuba
In his interventioninsisted on the importance of carrying out sanitation actions in communities and eliminating mosquito breeding grounds, as a fundamental measure to prevent and control the spread of these viruses.
She also stressed the need to see a doctor for any symptoms such as headaches, joint pain, vomiting, diarrhea and fever, since dengue and oropouche share similar symptoms, making diagnosis difficult without a proper medical evaluation.
Durán also stressed that, although Cuba maintains strict epidemiological surveillance due to the regional circulation of chikungunya, zika and mayaro fever in Latin America and the Caribbean, to date no cases of these arboviruses have been reported in the country.
Lack of hygiene in Cuba
In light of the information shared, several comments from citizens in the state media Cubadebate reflected concerns about the country’s health situation.
Juana María Izquierdo, for example, said that both she and her husband fell ill last month with symptoms of dengue and COVID-19, but experienced a significant delay in the delivery of test results and criticized the lack of garbage collection in their neighborhood.
Users “Nory” and “Africano” pointed out the accumulation of waste, water leaks and the lack of fumigation in Havana neighborhoods, factors that contribute to the worsening of sanitary conditions and facilitate the spread of diseases.
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