The health authorities of Las Tunas have raised the alarm due to a notable increase in cases of fever and diarrheal diseases in the province, a situation that could be related to the expansion of the Oropouche virus, known to be transmitted through mosquito bites. of the genus Culex.
Viviana Gutiérrez Rodríguez, director of Health in that territory, explained in a working meeting that, although no samples of Oropouche have been confirmed in the population of Las Tunas, the situation continues to be worrying, the local news agency reported. Newspaper 26.
“There are no samples confirming the existence of Oropouche in the population of Las Tunas. However, since June 20, in the municipality of Colombia, the town of San José shows a large percentage of its population with fever and diarrheal symptoms, manifestations that could indicate that they have the disease,” said Gutiérrez Rodríguez.
The studies carried out have been sent to the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Havana, since the preliminary results were negative for dengue. “We must remain alert, given the spread of the virus through Cuba. It can arrive here at any time,” he added.
In the community of Bartle, located in the main municipality and with a population of 15,000 inhabitants, a worrying increase in febrile syndromes has also been observed.
“Sanitation actions have been carried out, and although cases have decreased in recent weeks, that area has a high percentage of dumping pits,” explained Gutiérrez Rodríguez.
He said that one of the biggest challenges facing the territory is the collection of solid waste, especially in times of rain, which represents a potential risk for the increase in infection sourcesCuban authorities acknowledged Thursday that they do not have enough fuel to spray mosquitoes that transmit dengue and oropouche.
Cuba faces a new health alert due to the increase in both diseases in several territories of the country. The Oropouche virus has been confirmed in nine provinces and 23 municipalities.
The municipalities of Matanzas, Mayabeque, Villa Clara, Sancti Spiritus, Ciego de Avila, Holguin, Guantanamo, Santiago de Cuba and Cienfuegos have confirmed the presence of the virus from samples studied at the national reference laboratory of the Pedro Kourí Institute of Tropical Medicine (IPK).
