The arrival of summer (boreal) with rain and heat increases the cases of tropical diseases transmitted by mosquitoes.
The Cuban Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP) announced on Tuesday that it is keeping the health system on alert in the face of the increase in cases of dengue and the expansion of Oropouche fever in 9 of the 15 provinces of the Caribbean island.
The national director of Epidemiology of the Minsap, Francisco Durán, explained that through the monitoring and surveillance actions of the so-called non-specific febrile syndromes, these cases were identified, where all of those from Oropouche have evolved favorably, with improvement in symptoms among the third and fourth day of the onset of the illness.
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According to Durán, the Minsap confirmed the presence of Oropouche fever in 23 municipalities in the provinces of Matanzas, Mayabeque (west), Villa Clara, Sancti Spíritus, Cienfuegos (center), Ciego de Ávila, Holguín, Guantánamo and Santiago de Cuba (this).
A month ago, health authorities confirmed the first cases of this disease in two municipalities of Santiago de Cuba, although they did not specify the number of cases.
Durán, who became known in Cuban homes during the covid-19 pandemic, stated that all the identified cases have evolved favorably with an improvement in symptoms between the third and fourth day of the disease that, like Dengue is caused by the bite of mosquitoes, although different.
So far this year, what is known as Oropouche fever has already been detected and reported in Bolivia, Colombia, Peru and Brazil. So far, according to PAHO, no serious or critical cases or deaths have been reported.
He reiterated that the disease is characterized by symptoms such as “fever, headaches, muscle and joint pain, sometimes vomiting and diarrhea are also reported” and that “there is no specific treatment, only general measures to alleviate the symptoms.”
The symptoms are similar to that of dengue. Like that one, the Oropouche virus is also transmitted through the bite of a mosquito known colloquially in Cuba as a midge.
In relation to dengue, he explained that in recent weeks an increase in cases has been reported in the special municipality of Isla de la Juventud (southwest) and the provinces of Santiago de Cuba, Guantánamo, Ciego de Ávila, Camagüey, Holguín (east) and Cienfuegos. (center).
However, he clarified that “unlike Oropouche, the clinical picture of this disease (dengue) can evolve into serious forms and cause death, which is why we insist on the need to go to the doctor in a timely manner.”
With the arrival of summer (boreal), there is also an increase in tropical diseases caused by mosquito bites.
Author: teleSUR – DRL
Source: MINSAP – Cubadebate
