Yellow fever in Cali: authorities reinforce measures

The appearance of cases of yellow fever In Cali it has become a matter of strict surveillance by the Ministry of Health of the Valle del Cauca capital. Although, at this time there is no contagion record, efforts have been redoubled to immunize a greater number of people in the next few days.

“From the statement of health emergency by the Ministry of Health and Social Protection We have not had cases of yellow fever in Cali. For this reason, monitoring and vaccination actions have intensified in different parts of the city, ”said the head of the Health portfolio, Germán Escobar.

The official indicated that there are more than 80 positions Located in the various neighborhoods and communes of the city with the purpose of facilitating access to biological, by citizens.

“We have distributed the vaccine along the public and private network. Cali has more than 20 thousand doses available against yellow fever, ”said the secretary of Health.

According to Escobar, the Mayor’s Office undertook a series of initiatives aimed at taking action and anticipating a eventual yellow fever outbreak In the Valle del Cauca capital.

“This Thursday we issued a circular with the reinforcement of prevention actions, within the framework of a contingency plan which seeks to anticipate the eventual appearance of cases imported from other regions of the country, ”said Escobar.

For the secretary, the ideal is that people They are vaccinated Once against yellow fever, considering that a dose works for a lifetime.

“Before the doubt of people who do not have their vaccination record and who are not really sure if they were immunized against the yellow feverif the patient’s general status is healthy and has a scheduled trip or makes an express request from the vaccine, his immunization can be done, ”said Germán Escobar.

The country communicated with the Health Secretariat of Valle del Cauca To know if there are cases in other municipalities of the department. However, to date there is no record.

“So far there are no cases in the Valle del Cauca. We are doing the so -called preventive to maintain prevention actions. The department is part of the Unified command postPMU, for the issue of yellow fever, understanding that in the country there are high -risk areas, but until now the valley is free of the disease, ”they said from the entity.

Although in Cali and the Valle del Cauca No yellow fever cases have been reported. In the last hours, the death of a person who was held in a health center in the Valle del Cauca capital was recorded. It should be noted that the victim was transferred from the department of Cauca for the complications registered in his state of health.

“The case reported in Cauca comes from the municipality of Piedmont, very close to Caquetá and meets all the conditions of jungle transmission of the disease. The person presents symptoms that are clinically confused with other conditions such as dengue, zika or hepatitis. It was treated at the Susana López hospital in Valencia, but the situation was exacerbated and proceeded with the Transfer to Cali”, Said Carolina Camargo, Secretary of Health of Cauca.

For its part, the head of the Health portfolio in Cali, Germán EscobarHe explained that “the case was treated and sent from Cauca, only a couple of hours was in the city and unfortunately came in very bad conditions with a multisystemic commitment, in addition to a liver picture, so he died a few hours after being sent.”

Despite Death It was registered in the city, it is not considered a fact of the department, because it was considered a remission from another point in the country.

“While it is true, the death occurred in Cali, it is a case that is not within the epidemiological orbit of the city,” said the Secretary of Health.

Escobar emphasized that the city is prepared to address any case, for this reason, all measures have been extremein addition to maintaining epidemiological surveillance.

In turn, the official, called for calm among citizens, considering that all the Actions to control Any type of outbreak that could arise.