Deaths in Guantánamo due to leptospirosis: There are no rodenticides!

Health authorities of the Cuban regime in Guantánamo, in the eastern part of the country, reported to pro-government media about an increase in cases of leptospirosis in the territory and the death of two people from this cause.

According to the pro-government newspaper Venceremos, there are currently 44 cases of infection in Guantánamo, many more than in the same period of the previous year. Some patients develop severe symptoms due to delayed medical care.

Mileidys Gómez Irsola, head of the zoonosis program of the Provincial Directorate of Hygiene, Epidemiology and Microbiology in that eastern territory, pointed out that in the municipalities of Imías and Maisí, two deaths have been reported due to leptospirosis, which was confirmed by the Pedro Kourí Institute of Tropical Medicine in Havana.

The official added that this disease mainly affects people who work in the field, in wet areas and with a high presence of rodents. The most affected municipalities in Guantánamo are Baracoa, Maisí, Yateras, and Guantánamo capital.

The lack of preventive and control measures, such as the use of rodenticides, vaccines, protective equipment, and hygiene, has led to an increase in the incidence of leptospirosis in the province.

This disease can cause severe symptoms such as renal and pulmonary insufficiency, hemorrhage, and hemodynamic collapse, among others. Therefore, it is necessary to see a doctor at any sign of general malaise, fever, chills, headache, abdominal pain, pain in the calves and muscles, jaundice, vomiting, and diarrhea.

Leptospirosis can be treated if diagnosed in time and the appropriate treatment is applied. However, the best way to avoid it is to prevent contact with the urine of infected animals and maintain good personal and environmental hygiene.

Last year, at the end of 2022, health authorities alerted through their official channels about an increase in leptospirosis cases in Cuba, especially in the eastern province of Holguín, where the “rates” were “high.”

According to the health report in that territory, the cases were due to “an increase in precipitation and the rise in rodents.”

However, no report refers to the number of dump sites found on any corner of Cuban neighborhoods or the lack of state equipment for the hygiene of cities on the island.