The phrase does not cease to be real and always timely because it is repeated: the best medicine is the one that prevents. And in the current context, marked by the shortage of medicines and the appearance of communicable diseases, such as acute diarrheal (ADD), it adds merit and saves disappointments.

Las Tunas, Cuba.- Dr. Aldo Cortés González, deputy director of the Provincial Center for Hygiene, Epidemiology, and Microbiology, explained that in the summer stage ADD usually appears more frequently, mainly in children and older adults. Although the health system carries out surveillance and control tasks during this period, the population is ultimately responsible for intensifying precautions at home.

As is known, diarrhea is a symptom of a gastrointestinal infection caused mainly by bacterial, viral, or parasitic agents. They are generally transmitted by the fecal-oral route, the ingestion of contaminated food, drinks, or ice that are not exposed to any purification processes.

To reduce the incidence, Cortés González said, it is necessary to keep food at adequate temperatures, consume it well cooked, prepare it with extreme cleanliness and know its origin; wash vegetables and greens well, buy fish or shellfish in authorized places, and sanitize hands before preparing or consuming food, and after going to the bathroom.

"We call on those who sell food products, especially in beach areas, to implement sanitary hygiene standards to prevent the transmission of these diseases and intoxications," he emphasized.

Similarly, it is recommended to drink previously boiled or disinfected water, eliminate micro-dumps, not defecate outdoors, and move garbage deposits away from the kitchen. It is also appropriate to maintain exclusive breastfeeding in children less than 6 months and properly handle stools in infants with diarrhea, as this fecal matter can contaminate any member of the family.

In the case of the appearance of ADD, it is necessary to go immediately to medical services to avoid complications.