“I remember that night when I went to sleep, I felt some strange chills; I covered myself well and I began to think that with the bad luck that lately haunted me, I was capable of having been infected with the COVID-19. At midnight, the fever woke me up, and then I did start to wonder who had gotten me sick, damn it, I don't even leave my house..."

Silvia, 68, near the Guillermo Tejas polyclinic, shares with 26 the events that “stole” her March and has kept her more alert than usual to the buzzing of mosquitoes.

“At dawn, I knew that I had to go to the polyclinic to have a quick test done, but whoa! The pain in my bones would not even let me get out of bed. A neighbor helped me dress; and look if fear is bad that, on the way, I already felt pain in my throat and shortness of breath. To my surprise, and tranquility I was diagnosed with an arbovirus; and in such a way that right now, almost a month later, I assure you that the pain in my joints is unbearable.

“My bones ached as if I had been beaten to death. I had pain in my head, inside my eyes; I don't know how to specify it. And to top it all, it took my stomach; I came to think that I wasn't doing the story. I had no idea what dengue was like, and the truth is that it leaves so many sequels that you feel like you are never the same as before.”

HAZARDS AROUND HOMES...

Silvia is not the only person who, due to her advanced age, refers to being burdened with pain and exhaustion after having suffered dengue. Zoila, barely 36, had a very complex health condition under a mosquito net at the Ernesto Guevara hospital; and she says that in the room where she stayed for several days, the other patients did not stop cursing the little bug that put them to bed.

Unfortunately, the names of "victims" are doubling these days because the epidemiological situation related to arboviruses remains very complex in the province. Despite the studied febrile syndromes have been fewer in these first months of the year than in the same period of the previous, the reactive cases increased.

Although there is no transmission of dengue in the territory, the increase in cases keeps the health authorities on alert. There are reports in all municipalities, but the greatest number is found in the health areas of the provincial capital and the “Romárico Oro,” in Puerto Padre.

"At this stage, in 2020, of the 2,440 febrile syndromes studied, we had 247 positive; and in 2021, of the 1,840 investigated, there are 507," Dr. José Ángel Martínez Rodríguez, deputy director of Vector Control in the province, said.

"At this time, it is very important to adopt the measures of sanitation within homes," emphasized the doctor; everything that could become a potential breeding ground must be eliminated, the yards must be cleaned, and the sanitation indications for work centers must be complied with.

“Vector infestation rates have remained above the permissible ones. Fortunately, today we are in a better position to face the Campaign because we have full personnel in the areas, which was a great limitation before. We also have a minimum of resources that will allow us, based on an adequate strategy, to face the current situation and prevent the spread of the disease.

"We have to be able to control the cases, but this is achieved if there is unity between the community factors and the different sectors so that when we join forces, the results will be perceived."

INSIDE COMMUNITIES

The unmistakable sound of the “bazookas” gives them away in the communities. The Anti-Vector Campaign staff currently performs adulticide treatments depending on the availability of resources. Radiobatics around cases, perifocal in blocks with high foci indices, and adulticide treatments are their everyday reality.

Nieves Blas, from the Fernando Betancourt district, comments on the meticulous work they have carried out in her neighborhood. “They were there for three days, some made inspections, others fumigated, and some even looked for samples of mosquitoes. Since they were here, I already feel safer.”

Dr. José Ángel Martínez adds that, in this period, differentiated actions are aimed at the universes with the highest risk; among them, the increase in biological control of all tanks, abatement, treatment, and sealing of pits. Everything is needed to eliminate the dangers and face the rainy stage in better conditions.

"It has really been a difficult year for everyone and the Anti-Vector Campaign does not escape this," the doctor points out. “We had problems with human resources, above all, due to the paralysis of teaching activities, because working mothers had to remain at homes, taking care of their children."

The inspection of the households also became a challenge and demanded to be stricter in the measures to avoid getting infected and, at the same time, infecting families with the COVID-19.

“We cannot enter the houses where there are sources or suspects of that disease, which of course, makes our work difficult. Every time we stop taking an action, the mosquito advances in its proliferation.”

CALL FROM HOME

Dengue is by no means a lesser evil. This year, the danger due to arboviruses increases compared to previous stages. International authorities predict that the Americas will suffer an outbreak much higher than usual.

Experts agree that dengue and coronavirus can be tackled by taking the same measures, which in the case of the second should focus, in principle, on eliminating breeding sites for the transmitting mosquito. They say that handwashing, avoiding close contact with people with symptoms, and following recommendations for social isolation are fundamental provisions that the population must adopt.

In this period, the onset of rains and high temperatures are the perfect broth for the proliferation of the Aedes aegypti mosquito. For this reason, the Anti-Vector Campaign calls on the Las Tunas’ families to take extreme hygiene measures, made the auto-focal inspection, and guarantee the tightness of the water reservoirs. To fight this peculiar battle, individual responsibility is essential.