Other outbreaks have been reported in Camagüey and Ciego de Ávila, although authorities are downplaying the problem.
Without mentioning specific figures, Andrés Lamas Acevedo, director of the Matanzas Provincial Center for Hygiene, Epidemiology, and Microbiology, confirmed this Saturday the existence of active hepatitis cases in several locations throughout the province, including Versalles, the Plácido area, La Cumbre, and “isolated cases in all municipalities.” In an interview with the media outlet Girón, the doctor stated that all outbreaks are now “fairly under control.”
The official explained that “the hepatitis cases in the province have been spread from person to person” and not through water, “as we had 20 years ago in Versailles.” He tried to downplay the outbreak: “There really have been very few cases.”
However, the same media outlet points out at the beginning of the article that “for the past couple of weeks, the inhabitants of the province of Matanzas have been concerned” about the situation.
To try to contain the cases, Lamas Acevedo points out that the authorities temporarily closed establishments in the Plácido area. “When a group of people concentrated in a certain area gets sick, as is the case in Plácido, we have to close establishments, including the guarapera (a sugarcane juice stand) and the cafes that sell prepared drinks, such as coffee and juice, because there is no evidence that they are safe.”
“Not everyone has a way to boil water, either because they don’t have gas or they have to use charcoal.”
Another preventative measure is to boil or chlorinate the water with hypochlorite. However, the official himself acknowledges the population’s material limitations: “Not everyone has a way to boil water, either because they don’t have gas or they need to use charcoal. Therefore, we must promote citizen access to hypochlorite in all pharmacies.”
“Currently, it has been implemented, for example, in areas with the highest rates of hepatitis. However, it should be extended to all pharmacies in the municipalities to ensure direct access to the product,” he emphasizes.
The importance, he says, lies in the fact that an outbreak can start after “a fly goes to a landfill where there is fecal matter from a sick person and then lands on a piece of bread, a sweet or broth that is in a house, well, that’s where it leaves the virus.”
The doctor also said that hepatitis is a difficult disease to control due to its silent transmission period. “It begins to be transmitted 10 days before symptoms appear and continues for up to 15 days after. Therefore, I can have it now, feel fine, and still be spreading it,” he explained.
At the beginning of April, provincial authorities had already announced that they had strengthened epidemiological surveillance in response to outbreaks.
At the beginning of April, provincial authorities had already announced that they had strengthened epidemiological surveillance in response to outbreaks of hepatitis in several municipalities, with the most critical situation concentrated in the Versalles neighborhood, where, at that time, 18 active cases were recorded.
Specialist Lamas Acevedo himself acknowledged the relative seriousness of the situation at the time, although he tried to downplay the alarm: “Although it is not a large-scale outbreak, joint actions between the health sector and other organizations will allow us to cut off transmission.”
Other cases have been reported in Camagüey. On April 23, provincial television interviewed a health official who acknowledged that “there is currently an increase in suspected and probable cases of hepatitis A virus in our province, primarily concentrated in our municipality.”
In the television report, the media outlet noted that “in a scenario where there are serious problems with solid waste collection, it is urgent to intensify hygiene and sanitation measures.” Despite this situation, the health official interviewed maintained that “at this time, we do not have an outbreak in the municipality of Camagüey, even though there has been a notable increase in the disease.”
“At this time, we do not have an outbreak in the municipality of Camagüey, despite a notable increase in the disease.”
“Camagüey has been full of hepatitis cases for months. Where I live, I know of more than 20 people who have had hepatitis. Please, take this seriously,” one user responded to the TV Camagüey video. Another internet user also questioned the official message: “Isolation isn’t the issue, because when you diagnose 30 to 40 positive cases in a single day in an emergency room, that’s an outbreak.”
At the beginning of the year, the health authorities of Ciego de Ávila reported, through official media, that they were investigating several suspected cases of hepatitis detected in different municipalities of the province.
As is usually the case, no figures were given, and they simply reported that, after the detection of the first patients with symptoms compatible with the disease, the protocols established by the health system were activated.
Hepatitis is a disease characterized by inflammation of the liver. Its most common symptoms include fatigue, yellowing of the skin and eyes, nausea, abdominal pain, and dark urine, although it can be asymptomatic. However, in severe cases, it can cause extreme fatigue, fever between 37.5 and 38 degrees Celsius [99.5F to 100.4F], headache, muscle aches, loss of appetite, and bleeding gums.
______________________
COLLABORATE WITH OUR WORK: The 14ymedio team is committed to practicing serious journalism that reflects Cuba’s reality in all its depth. Thank you for joining us on this long journey. We invite you to continue supporting us by becoming a member of 14ymedio now. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.