Cuba has not reported increase in respiratory diseases due to fire in Matanzas

HAVANA, Cuba, Aug 9 (ACN) So far no increase in respiratory diseases has been reported in the western provinces due to emissions of polluting gases from the fire in Matanzas, said Susana Suarez Tamayo, national director of environmental health of the Cuban ministry of public health ( MINSAP by its Spanish acronym).

MINSAP and the Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment (CITMA by its Spanish acronym) jointly monitor the environmental situation to alert the population in a timely manner about any change, but at present the concentrations of pollutants are not alarming for human health.

Nevertheless, she recommended that people, especially the most vulnerable, wear masks, and reiterated the importance of not exposing themselves to the rain in places where it coincides with the passage of the smoke plume.

Suarez Tamayo advised, in the areas of exposure, to moisten the mask for a better action against the polluting particles so that they do not penetrate into the respiratory tract.

The Ministry of Public Health reported that 125 people injured as a result of the fire have been treated; of which 22 remain hospitalized in six institutions in the country, between Matanzas and Havana.