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Cuba will begin a clinical study in the coming days to evaluate the efficacy of the national medication Jusvinza in patients with sequelae from the chikungunya virus, as reported by the Ministry of Public Health (Minsap) on its official website.
The trial will take place in four hospitals in the provinces of Havana and Matanzas and is part of the national health innovation system.
The authorities indicated that the goal is to improve the treatment of inflammatory joint manifestations that persist after the infection.
Jusvinza was promoted in 2020 as a therapeutic alternative produced by the Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB), aimed at controlling hyperinflammation, regulating the immune response, and reducing the risk of mortality for patients with coronavirus.
This decision comes in the context of a serious health crisis facing the country due to the rise of mosquito-borne diseases, such as dengue and chikungunya.
The situation has led to the collapse of hospitals, thousands of sick individuals, and a growing shortage of medications, while complaints from citizens about the lack of care, the deterioration of healthcare facilities, and corruption in fumigation campaigns continue to multiply.
Dr. Ileana Morales Suárez, director of Science and Technological Innovation at Minsap, explained that the research focuses on countering the infestation rates of the vector mosquito, improving clinical treatments, and reducing the sequelae of the virus.
For her part, María Guadalupe Guzmán Tirado, director of Research at the Pedro Kourí Institute (IPK), acknowledged that the increase in infections is due to the low immunity of the population and the current intensity of the virus's circulation in the country.
Although the Minsap presents the research as a scientific advancement, the reality in Cuban hospitals and polyclinics reflects an overwhelmed healthcare system, lacking resources and with exhausted staff, where prevention and treatment increasingly rely on citizen initiative rather than on the regime's institutions.
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