NewsDesk @bactiman63

The Cuban Minister of Public Health, Dr. José Angel Portal Miranda, gave an update Thursday (computer translated) about the dengue fever situation on the island nation.

Image/Robert Herriman

Dr. Portal Miranda noted at the end of June, the provinces with dengue transmission were Havana, Sancti Spíritus, Camagüey, Las Tunas, Holguín, Santiago de Cuba, and Guantánamo, and as of July 10, 3,036 cases of dengue were confirmed in the country, with serotypes 1,2 and 3 circulating.

He mentioned that in the week that concludes, the incidence rate of suspected cases grew by 42.0% compared to the previous one and twelve provinces increased the number of suspected cases . Given this context, he called on the population to take extreme vector control measures and destroy mosquito breeding sites; purpose in which he highlighted the essential role of the family and the neighborhood.

Portal Miranda stressed the importance of knowing the symptoms and warning signs and going immediately to health services. “This is a virus that also kills and in a context where COVID-19 is not over, risk perception remains essential.”

 He pointed out that in the country there is a national strategy for dealing with this disease that includes technical actions by the health system and the anti-vector campaign, in addition the conditions are prepared for the care of the sick.

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The minister recognized the experience accumulated in the nation with respect to dengue and commented that as of May, with the increase in rains and temperatures, the rates of mosquito infestation that condition transmission also increased.

The actions carried out at this time will make it possible to prevent the situation from being more complex in the months of September and October, considered the most difficult due to the vector cycle, he said.