Matanzas Reinforces Surveillance Amid Increase in Respiratory Diseases
The province of Matanzas registers an increase in acute respiratory diseases, a situation that keeps health authorities on alert, with special attention to children, pregnant women, and older adults.
The provincial director of Health, Yamira López, insisted that this is not a moment to let one’s guard down.
Current meteorological conditions, characterized by high temperatures, humidity, and rain, favor the circulation of respiratory viruses and also create a scenario conducive to the proliferation of the mosquito that transmits arbovirosis.
«This is not a calm stage,» said the specialist, who explained that the months of October and November usually represent a complex period from the epidemiological point of view.
López made a particular call to the Maternal and Child Care Program and asked for special surveillance over minors and pregnant women. She specified that no child under one year of age or pregnant woman with respiratory manifestations should be evaluated only from home but requires medical evaluation.
In the case of patients with moderate respiratory manifestations, care corresponds to the secondary level, within a territorialized network that allows defining the reference hospital and the interconsultation mechanisms in each municipality.
The provincial director called on families not to downplay symptoms under the idea that «there is nothing to prescribe.» Delaying care can favor the appearance of complications and lead to more complex treatments, including the need for admission to intensive care units.
Hence the call to the population: in the presence of respiratory symptoms, go promptly to the doctor and maintain special surveillance when it comes to small children, pregnant women, or older adults.
Health authorities maintain active screening and epidemiological surveillance, while insisting that early detection and timely medical care are essential tools to reduce the risk of complications.
