Cuba still faced with complex epidemiological situation

HAVANA, Cuba, Oct 23 (ACN) Dr. Francisco Durán García, national director of Hygiene and Epidemiology, informed in a press conference that the dengue and oropouche viruses are still spreading in most Cuban provinces and called on the population step up hygiene and environmental sanitation and to avoid the accumulation of water, given the proliferation of mosquitoes as a result of the heavy rains of recent days.

Dr. Duraán remarked that a large number of dengue patients are in hospital—some of them in ICUs—whereas 80% of those infected with oropouche have no alarming symptoms and are homebound instead. In this regard, he stressed the need to see a doctor at once if symptoms such as headaches, joint pain, vomiting, diarrhea and fever appear, particularly in the case of children.

He also pointed out that cases of diarrheal, digestive and flu-like diseases have increased in the last week due to the seasonal rains and hot weather, and made it clear that Cuba has in place strict epidemiological surveillance protocols for the timely detection of communicable diseases.