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The General Directorate of Health of Sancti Spíritus acknowledged at a press conference that two individuals, one of whom is in pediatric age -without specifying the exact age- have died this year due to dengue and chikungunya
The director of the Provincial Center for Hygiene, Epidemiology, and Microbiology, Carlos Ruiz Santos, detailed that one of the deaths is linked to chikungunya and the other to dengue, reported the official newspaper Escambray.
The official described the epidemiological situation as "complex" and confirmed widespread circulation of both arboviruses.
As of the end of week 47, the territory has recorded 38 confirmed cases of chikungunya by the Pedro Kourí Institute of Tropical Medicine and more than 1,000 patients with suspicious symptoms.
Ruiz Santos clarified that this figure includes only those who visit health system institutions.
According to the information provided, the province has recorded over 2,000 fever cases in each of the last two weeks, which has necessitated strengthening investigations with the help of students from the University of Medical Sciences and healthcare personnel.
At the same time, the infestation rate is approaching 1.0, one of the highest in the country.
In response to the current situation, the authorities intensified adulticidal treatment in areas of greater complexity, with more than 36,000 homes fumigated and eight extramural interventions in the past week, focusing on the city of Sancti Spíritus and Trinidad.
The municipalities of Sancti Spíritus, La Sierpe, and Jatibonico exhibit the highest incidence rates in the area, the source emphasized.
The Deputy Director of Medical Assistance, Mirta Santos León, assured that the province has increased the availability of beds in several institutions for patient admission and has bolstered human resources by transferring medical and paramedical staff.
According to current protocols, priority is given to the admission of children under two years old, pregnant women, and individuals with chronic illnesses.
Santos León urged the population to seek medical attention promptly and to take extra protective measures, especially for the most vulnerable groups.
On November 27, Radio Sancti Spíritus reported on seven newborns being treated at the Provincial Neonatology Service of the central province who, according to the report, were showing favorable progress after being diagnosed with chikungunya.
Doctor in Science María Eugenia Toledo Romaní, a researcher at the “Pedro Kourí” Tropical Medicine Institute (IPK), stated yesterday that it is currently impossible to make a long-term forecast about the behavior of chikungunya in Cuba, as this is the first experience of exposure to the virus that is causing an epidemic of significant magnitude and extent.
Last week, the Ministry of Public Health (Minsap) reported about 33 deaths from mosquito-borne diseases, of which 21 were due to chikungunya and 12 to dengue. The majority of the victims, 64%, were minors.
The official press in Ciego de Ávila acknowledged that the institutions reacted late to the current arboviral disease crisis when neighborhoods were already reporting cases, in addition to failures in epidemiological surveillance and sanitation that allowed the transmitting mosquito to spread unchecked.
Additionally, the health authorities of Holguín acknowledged that they failed in the prevention against the mosquito Aedes aegypti, which transmits dengue and chikungunya, while the province is facing a complex epidemiological situation with three municipalities in epidemic phase.
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