The Ministry of Public Health of Cuba (MINSAP) confirmed that the chikungunya epidemic is particularly affecting Cuban children and adolescents severely.
During his appearance on the Buenos Días program, Dr. Francisco Durán García, national director of Epidemiology, reported that out of the 95 patients admitted to intensive care units with chikungunya, 63 are under 18 years of age and 16 are in critical condition.
Be very attentive to children and young people, who are more susceptible, warned the specialist, detailing that the virus has shown the ability to cause severe cases and complications at young ages.
Durán explained that chikungunya continues to have active transmission in 14 provinces, including Santiago de Cuba, Sancti Spíritus, Ciego de Ávila, Camagüey, Artemisa, Pinar del Río, Holguín, Havana, Matanzas, and Villa Clara.
As of now, there have been 31,513 suspected cases of the disease. Only in the previous day, 753 new diagnoses were reported, while dengue totaled 847 positive cases.
The epidemiologist warned that the infestation rate of the mosquito Aedes aegypti remains at 0.73, which represents a high risk of transmission.
"It is a high indicator, as it is calculated based on the number of mosquitoes found, and it tells us that the risk remains high," he explained.
Durán insisted that parents must seek health services at any sign of alarm.
"Don't stay at home when sustained fever, dehydration, or loss of consciousness appear," he advised, emphasizing that "the situation remains very complex" throughout the country.
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