Germs of this century
climate change, inadequate health policy and health education population without causing the emergence of new diseases. In addition to dengue and swine influenza in Cordoba concerned about West Nile virus and St. Louis, as well as leishmaniasis, whooping cough and hemolytic uremic syndrome.
More behind the dengue virus and influenza virus. Climate change, globalization and new habits of life make the emergence of new germs and the reemergence of some old acquaintances.
But perhaps the virus that has endured is always the lack of education of governments and citizens. There is no precise knowledge about the situation because the monitoring and controls are not adequate. In turn, the population has no health awareness.
In Cordoba, the list of organisms of concern must include the virus of St. Louis and West Nile, whooping cough syndrome hemolytic uremic leishmaniasis. But the list is incomplete because, according to experts, there is no accurate epidemiological surveillance. For this paper, the provincial government provided no information, although that was required.
Dengue is still with us and will probably continue for several more years, although every effort was made. Why?
For several years there controlled the mosquito vector (Aedes aegypti), although the researchers cautioned that the population was growing. Arrived missing the virus for an outbreak in Córdoba. And that happened this year. "In 1963 it was considered that the mosquito was eradicated.
reappeared in 1986 in Misiones. There was to eliminate and control in 1995 resurfaced in Cordoba, Walter Almiron synthesized, a researcher at CONICET and mosquitoes National University of Cordoba (UNC). In the province there are 111 confirmed dengue cases and 84 suspects, according to the May 27 national health ministry.
The disease occurs in 61 districts of the capital and in 27 towns in the province. Marta Contigiani, arbovirus specialist at the Institute of Virology, Dr. José María Vanella (Invivo) of the UNC, understands that no one knows what was the real impact of dengue and if there were other similar viruses circulating. "We do not know if febrile with neurological involvement were all products of dengue.
We know that viruses are circulating, but we know the real impact of each," he says. Almiron Contigiani and say that should do more and better differential diagnosis to know what other germs are attacking.
Two suspects, relatives of the dengue virus, St. Louis and West Nile. Both are transmitted by the mosquito Culex quinquefasciatus, famous for its buzz. It differs by its habit of Aedes night. Played in the same sites (water containers), but also in natural environments such as canals and dikes.
San Luis virus dengue came before. "In 1998 we found that it was endemic in Córdoba. Remains so today," said Contigiani. In 2005 there was an outbreak in the capital with 49 cases and nine deaths. Meanwhile, the West Nile virus confirmed in humans in 2006, in the province. This year also been detected.
"The virus is because we have seen an impressive prevalence of antibodies in birds in Mar Chiquita and the capital," he confirms. Experts believe that, despite the priority today is dengue, other viruses also cause concern. Contigiani imagine a negative scenario "may be circulating two types of West Nile virus to infect humans, birds and horses, especially in the area of \u200b\u200bMar Chiquita.
Worse, some of them change and become more pathogenic. " Another germ that is knocking on doors Cordoba is produced by leishmaniasis, a parasitic disease transmitted by mosquitoes, sandflies. "There is a big focus on La Banda, Santiago del Estero, near Cordoba and Cordoba were imported cases," says Hugo Pizzi, tropical disease specialist at UNC.
"This is the beginning of a lot of rare diseases that we will begin to see," he says. Dengue revealed the weaknesses of surveillance and disease control. "When in 1960 eliminated the Aedes aegypti, stopped working the national vector control. Argentina is not known for having a culture of prevention," said Adrian Diaz, a researcher the unlivable.
"If it had worked well 10 or 15 years ago did not suffer the diseases we have now. We must move from cure to prevention," says Pizzi. Meanwhile, Almiron agrees that monitoring and control that were made were not sufficient. "It means a lot of money and preventive health budget is not important in Argentina," he says.
The researchers believe that the dengue outbreak forced governments to take more seriously the health policy. With influenza A (H1N1) is working better and faster, they say. Pizzi argues that these organisms emerged by changes caused by the man who transformed subtropical temperate zones.
"When a man breaks an ecosystem of deforestation, living beings lose their ecological niche and are close to populated areas," he says. Contigiani adds that in a globalized world the exchange of people and goods is higher. With them come new pathogens and vectors.
SOURCE ARTICLE AND PHOTO: L to Voz del Interior - Sunday May 31, 2009
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