Growing Presence of the Dengue Fever Mosquito in Santa Clara / Yoel Espinosa Medrano

SANTA CLARA, Cuba, October 1, 2013, Yoel Espinosa Medrano / www.cubanet.org.- This city has a total of 657 foci of the Aedes Aegypi mosquito, 133 more compared 20 days ago, according to official data.

Juan José Pulido, director of Public Health for the area, reported on provincial radio that the situation is alarming because the current infestation rate is 1.01% with a tendency to increase, and the target rate is 0.05%. It has been exacerbated by the hundreds of homes with multiple infected sites.

The mosquitoes flourish mostly in containers where people store water.

The official did not report on the number of people infected with dengue fever.

The most affected areas are Marta Abreu, Santa Clara and Nazareno. Meanwhile, in the Arnaldo Milian Castro Provincial Hospital and the José Luis Miranda Pediatric Hospital there are dozens of people in isolation rooms and a large number being treated in their homes, supervised by a physician and community nurse .

Unofficially it is known that at least 5 people have died from this cause, including a pregnant woman.

“In the city there is also an increase in outbreaks of diarrhea, caused mostly by water pollution due to failures, both in the supply networks and in the plumbing; septic dumping the street is also an area of ​​concern, although the local party and government have made ​​a great effort to solve it,” reported Juan José Pulido.

From Cubanet

1 October 2013