Sancti Spíritus, Aug. 17 (ACN Newswire) — Given the presence of acute diarrheal disease in the province of Sancti Spíritus, the regional Public Health Department authorities today insisted on measures to help prevent the disease.
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At a press conference held at the Provincial Health Bureau on Thursday, it was learned that the emergence of multiple cases of acute diarrhea did not constitute an alarm signal in the spiritual field, but emphasized the need to raise the risk awareness of the population to prevent a large-scale outbreak of the disease.
Dr. Carlos Ruiz Santos, the Territory’s Deputy Director of Health, told the press that 3,530 people have been treated in health sector institutions this year with the above-mentioned conditions; this figure, he confirmed, is lower than the figure for the same period in 2022.
During the meeting, there were calls to boil the water before drinking it or to provide sodium hypochlorite (1%) (available at community pharmacies) to prevent the spread of infection, which becomes more common when present. There is a lack of clean water for drinking, cooking and washing.
Sancti Spíritus has an acute diarrhea incidence rate of 771.5 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, one of eight Cuban provinces with this indicator above the national average.
The advice to strengthen health action against acute diarrheal diseases also extends to other diseases such as hepatitis A and dengue fever, which have also been present in the Territory.
Pedro Jimenez Perez, deputy director of the Provincial Aqueduct and Sewer Company, said that efforts are being made to maintain the good condition of human water, but objective problems have hindered this process.
In this regard, he explained that the way the pumping equipment operates and its technical outdatedness has prevented the municipalities of San Spiritus and Caboguan from maintaining a steady pumping, which is exacerbated by the lack of spare parts.
Nonetheless, he assured, the chlorination of the liquid is still ensured and sampling is constantly being done at various locations in the urban area to check the water quality.
Diarrhea is an infection symptom caused by a variety of bacteria, viruses and parasites, most of which are spread through fecal-contaminated water.
The condition constitutes a major public health problem worldwide and is the second leading cause of death among children under five and one of the leading causes of malnutrition, according to international organizations.
In Cuba, where it is not among the top 10 causes of death, registered mortality and fatality rates show a low incidence among the population, although it occurs more frequently during the summer months when the weather favors the spread of the bacteria.cause it