The Ministry of Health reported this Wednesday that in the last week, 531 new cases of dengue in the province and 11 new reports of chikungunya, as indicated in a new meeting of the Monitoring Committee for mosquito-borne diseases. In this sense, so far this season 22/23875 cases of dengue have already been reported in total30 imported and 845 autochthonous.
Laura Lopez, Director of Epidemiology, stated: “In recent weeks there has been a significant increase in cases, this is due to new municipalities that are presenting viral circulation and weather conditions that favor the proliferation of mosquitoes. That is why it is essential to be able to work in each of our homes to eliminate all potential breeding grounds for mosquitoes to reduce the risks of transmission.” They reported that there are isolated cases of dengue in 68 neighborhoods of Córdoba Capital and 18 towns in the interior; with outbreaks or circulation in the cities of Río Cuarto, San Francisco, Jesús María and Villa Allende, and in 4 areas of the capital.
For her part, the Minister of Health, Gabriela Barbas stressed the importance of “Accompaniment and constant dialogue between the reference hospitals, the municipalities and the Epidemiology Department, knowing the role of each one, to strengthen and deepen the health strategies to address dengue.”
As to the provincial situation of chikungunya, 53 cases have been reported in total, 10 imported and 43 autochthonous; most of them related to an outbreak detected in the town of La Calera and the rest correspond to isolated autochthonous or imported cases.
“It is important to note that fumigation is not a preventive method and is only carried out in blockade actions to contain the situation. This is because the product used, the only one approved for public health, has no residue and does not act on the aquatic stages of the mosquito. That is why we insist that the preventive measure is to eliminate all potential breeding objects that are in our homes, avoid mosquito bites and early consultation”added Lopez.
At the national level, autochthonous dengue viral circulation is registered in 13 jurisdictions and 3 deaths have been reported. With respect to chikungunya528 cases were reported in the season, with 6 jurisdictions registering autochthonous cases.
On this occasion, the meeting was attended by the deputy director of the Regional Hospital of Río Cuarto, Valeria Alaniz; and the deputy director of the Iturraspe Hospital in San Francisco, Verónica Pepino; who presented the departmental situation regarding these diseases. In addition, the director of Interior Hospitals, Pablo Amodei; officials from the capital’s health portfolio, Antonio Caravello, Undersecretary of Primary Health Care and Martín Najo, Undersecretary of Prevention and Community Health Care; as well as references from the Central Laboratory of the Province, from the provincial CAPS, from different capital and interior hospitals and from the Department of Zoonoses.
Early consultation and symptoms
The importance of timely medical consultation by the population was recalled, in the presence of fever, headache, pain behind the eyes, in the joints and/or muscles.