Nearly a dozen people diagnosed with malaria are hospitalized in Cienfuegos

Nearly a dozen people diagnosed with malaria are hospitalized in Cienfuegos
MARIO J. PENTÓN Y CARIDAD CRUZ
mpenton@elnuevoherald.com

About a dozen people are hospitalized at the Gustavo Aldereguía Lima
hospital in Cienfuegos after being diagnosed with malaria, which was
detected in Rodas, a municipality in southern central Cuba.

The disease is caused by plasmodium, a parasite that is transmitted to
humans by the bite of a female genus anopheles mosquito. It is
potentially deadly and affects large areas across the globe.

"Sanitation work is being carried out. They have eliminated the water
lilies in the Damují River and we are in the middle of a campaign of
intense fumigation in the streets," said a nurse at the Rodas clinic who
declined to give her name to the independent press for fear of reprisals.

"This is something you can't talk about unofficially. The Health
Minister, Roberto Morales Ojeda, has visited the province several times
in recent weeks," says the nurse.

Morales, born in Rodas, previously served as director of the Municipal
Unit of Hygiene and Epidemiology of that municipality and municipal
director of Health in Rodas and Cienfuegos.

According to one former Rodas resident who now lives in Miami, alarm has
spread across the population, which has about 30,000 inhabitants.

"Relatives call and talk about the situation the population is facing,
but when you check press reports you do not find any information," said
the former resident.

Malaria is an acute febrile illness. The first symptoms, which include
fever, a severe headache, chills and vomiting, begin a week after the
mosquito bite.

According to medical literature, if the disease is not treated within
the first 24 hours, some cases of malaria, such as that propagated by
the parasite plasmodium falciparum, can be aggravated, often leading to
death.

Children may have symptoms such as severe anemia, which could affect the
brain. In adults, multiple organs can be affected.

For the spread of malaria to occur, mosquitoes must have an area to
reproduce, especially in puddles and areas with fresh clean water. Rodas
is known as "the village of the Damují" because of the river's
prominence in the city. The tributary, which flows into the Bay of
Cienfuegos, can serve as an ideal site for the propagation of the
mosquitoes.

THIS ARTICLE IS PART OF AN AGREEMENT BETWEEN 14YMEDIO AND EL NUEVO HERALD.

Source: About a dozen people are diagnosed with malaria in Cienfuegos |
Miami Herald -
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