The health authorities of Las Tunas confirmed the circulation of dengue serotype 4 in the province and warned that children, the elderly, pregnant women, and individuals with associated diseases are among the groups at highest risk of experiencing complications.
The official publication Periódico 26 reported this Wednesday that Dr. Yumara Acosta García, director of the Provincial Center for Hygiene, Epidemiology, and Microbiology, confirmed that dengue type 4 is currently circulating in the area.
The specialist warned that this serotype "is much more complex from a clinical perspective" and explained that confirmed cases are sent to the Pedro Kourí Institute of Tropical Medicine (IPK) in Havana for quality control and virus typing.
In light of the situation, the authorities urged not to underestimate possible signs of the disease.
"At the first signs of joint pain, muscular pain, headaches, or fever, seek medical attention at the very least to identify cases promptly, so we can take action to prevent greater complications in this particular area," Acosta urged.
The surveillance is particularly focused on children, the elderly, individuals with comorbidities, and pregnant women, in addition to patients associated with the Maternal and Child Care Program, regarded by authorities as a high-risk population for potential complications.
The confirmation of serotype 4 occurs while provincial authorities are implementing what they have termed a "health offensive", which includes state inspections in workplaces and educational institutions.
Workplaces are considered "sentinels" due to the number of people they gather.
Inspections review, among other aspects, the elimination of potential breeding sites for the Aedes aegypti mosquito and the proper covering of containers used to store water.
"The essence of what we do, through vector control, is aimed at preventing the proliferation of the vector and, of course, ensuring that our workers do not fall ill in the workplace and transmit the disease to the community," the director explained.
Las Tunas had already gone through a complicated epidemiological scenario months ago.
In November last year, the province launched a fumigation campaign in response to the rise in fever cases, dengue, and chikungunya.
On that occasion, Las Tunas, Puerto Padre, Majibacoa, and Jobabo were prioritized, as they were considered the territories with the highest incidence of suspected cases.
The current alert is not an isolated event within the country. In June, the Ministry of Public Health warned about the risk of a new dengue epidemic and acknowledged that all four serotypes of the virus were circulating simultaneously in Cuba.
The Deputy Minister Carilda Peña then pointed out that the dominance of any of them could lead to localized outbreaks and, without the necessary measures, result in an epidemic.
More recently, the situation has also raised alarms in Guantánamo.
In mid-August, the authorities acknowledged an increase in the Aedes aegypti mosquito and issues in detecting febrile cases.
In that province, the circulation of serotypes 2, 3, and 4 was confirmed, while several municipalities were facing a particularly worrying epidemiological situation.
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