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2023-07-10 21:49:17
This is an epidemic year for dengue, as the National Institute of Health (INS) has warned, given the figures for this disease, which as of July 1 reached a total of 55,586 accumulated cases.
(Also read: Serious dengue symptoms and when to see a doctor urgently).
The epidemic years, highlights the INS, occur every three to four years and given the growing number of dengue cases in the country, as reflected in the last 4 weeks, the entity has indicated that it is very important to adopt prevention measures in the population and more so with the onset of the El Niño phenomenon, which might worsen the situation.
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“This climate favors the risk factors for some vector-borne diseases, especially dengue, chikungunya and Zika because the climatic conditions are conducive to the reproduction of the transmitting mosquito. Drought and decreased rainfall force people to store water of all kinds containers that if they are not adequate and clean or covered become breeding grounds for mosquitoes,” said Giovanny Rubiano, general director of the INS.
(Also read: Diet for dengue: foods to avoid eating if you have this disease).
Despite the number of cases reported to date, 55,586 cases at epidemiological week 26, it is important to clarify that the last dengue epidemic (2019-2020) in Colombia ended with a total of 127,553 confirmed cases. Figures similar to that of the 2015-2016 epidemic with 129,000 cases and well below historical figures such as that of the 2010 epidemic that produced 157,203 cases.
This climate favors risk factors for some vector-borne diseases, especially dengue
Currently in Colombia, according to data reported to the Public Health System (Sivigila), 30 departments remain above the endemic channel for dengue, that is, 81.1% are above the number of expected cases. However, only 16.2% are on alert (6) and only 2.7% (one) of the territorial entities are within expectations.
In the accumulated 52,586 notified cases, they are distributed as follows: 29,618 (56.3%) without alarm signs, 22,240 (42.3%) with alarm signs; and 728 (1.4%) are severe dengue cases. 70.9% of the cases (37,353) of the cases at the national level are concentrated in Meta, Tolima, Santander, Cali, Cundinamarca, Sucre, Cesar, Antioquia, Bolívar, Barranquilla, Cartagena, Córdoba and Norte de Santander.
(Also read: Dengue in Cundinamarca: these are the twelve municipalities that are on alert).
The incidence of cases is 148, 4 cases per hundred thousand inhabitants in 2023. While in 2022, the incidence was 86.5 cases per 100 thousand inhabitants.
Of 38 departmental and district entities, Bogotá is the only entity without a population at risk. Amazonas, Vaupés, Meta, Guaviare, Tolima, Caquetá, Putumayo and Cundinamarca have the highest incidences, recording rates of more than 260 reported cases per 100,000 inhabitants.
Other countries in the Americas, from Mexico to Argentina, are also in an epidemic year. The most affected countries in the region are Peru (169,504 cases) and Brazil (1,515,460 cases). Colombia is sixth in the total number of registered cases per 100 thousand inhabitants and in regional incidence we are ninth with 95 cases per 100 thousand inhabitants.
Since the beginning of this epidemic year for dengue, 29 deaths have been registered and the country maintains a lethality of 0.1%, with a greater affectation in minors, mainly on the Caribbean coast. Above are Bolivia, Argentina, among others.
(Also read: How is dengue spread and what is its treatment?).
Regarding laboratory surveillance of the virus, the INS has remained alert to this phenomenon and has been conducting studies that show that dengue types 1 and 2 are circulating mainly in the country. Although all serotypes have historically circulated in the country of Dengue, these two are the most prevalent and type 2 is the one with the greatest recent circulation.
Franklyn Prieto, director of Public Health Surveillance of the INS also specified the importance that municipalities activate their risk monitoring and carry out the management to review the availability of water and control mosquito breeding sites during these climate changes. “We expect dengue outbreaks to occur every three years and we expected the last one to start in 2022. However, that year it stopped and (…) we have been seeing them reflected in recent months and they are going to continue with the beginning of the El Niño phenomenon,” Prieto said.
The Ministry of Health of Colombia with the National ETV program has given detailed recommendations to the Territorial Entities for the control of vectors -adults and hatcheries- and for the clinical management of patients in the IPS to reduce lethality and the INS maintains a Intensified monitoring of this event and others that may increase as a result of the El Niño climate phenomenon.
(Also read: What is dengue, what types are there and what are its symptoms?).
Other health recommendations during El Niño phenomenon
In these climatic conditions, such as those that are being experienced with the arrival of El Niño, communities with difficult access to drinking water use water for priority activities such as cooking food and tend to neglect or reduce personal hygiene practices, frequent washing hand washing and food washing, which also exposes them to acute diarrheal disease (ADD), especially in areas or municipalities of the country that do not have adequate sewers.
The INS is also intensifying surveillance of respiratory diseases, since there is an increased risk of acute respiratory infections (ARI) in the general population and in people with allergies (rhinitis) and chronic lung diseases.
(Also read: How to avoid the complications of dengue? These are the recommendations of experts).
Sudden temperature changes such as high temperatures or heat strokes also increase the risk for those who suffer from cardiovascular disease such as hypertensives, diabetics and overweight people. For this reason, adequate hydration and the use of sun protection are also essential.
The climatic variety that characterizes the El Niño phenomenon and that consists of increases in temperature and decrease in rainfall in a large part of the national territory, requires that the health authorities be alert to certain diseases in this season, especially in the Andean and Caribbean regions. and Orinoquía and part of the Pacific region.
The general director of the INS, Giovanny Rubiano García, recommended that the population maintain these measures:
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