With an eye on September and October —the months with the highest incidence of diseases transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito— the province’s health authorities are maintaining active epidemiological surveillance. Although the situation is stable, they are warning of environmental risks that could change that scenario.

Las Tunas, Cuba.- Osbel Lorenzo Rodríguez, the first secretary of the Cuban Communist Party (PCC) in the province, emphasized the need to improve the quality of interventions in workplaces, schools, and communities, especially given the current electricity crisis and the start of the school year. “We cannot let our guard down; there are areas that require a different approach,” he stressed. He took a special interest in workplace self-management and the effectiveness of fieldwork to keep the province in the safe zone. “The art of saving lies in foresight,” he declared.

The PCC leader announced that, as part of the “Tareas de Grandes” initiative, workplace self-management will be strengthened in support of the public health campaign. He also urged increased engagement with the population through the media and mass organizations to raise risk awareness. “The water problem affects the entire province; we must maintain vigilance in recurring hotspots and new outbreaks, and eliminate the causes that could lead to a different epidemiological situation,” he concluded.

Yumara Acosta García, director of the Provincial Center for Hygiene, Epidemiology, and Microbiology, specified that the Dengue IV viral serotype is circulating in Las Tunas, “the one associated with the most critical cases from a clinical standpoint.”

The specialist warned about environmental conditions that facilitate the vector spread, including the accumulation of solid waste in informal dumps, leaks in drinking water systems, clogged sewers, septic tanks in poor condition, and substandard water storage tanks. “We have just over half of the necessary workforce available, but we are stepping up our efforts to reach every block, especially in Majibacoa, Las Tunas, and 'Jesús Menéndez', including rural areas,” she added.

Regarding other arboviral diseases, Acosta García reported that samples sent to the Pedro Kourí Institute of Tropical Medicine (IPK in Spanish) had not yielded any diagnoses of Oropouche or Chikungunya. However, he reported an increase in acute diarrheal diseases in Puerto Padre and Las Tunas, as well as some cases of leptospirosis so far this year.