Federal Ministry of Health informed that so far have confirmed 458 cases of chikungunya in Mexico, which have been reported mainly in the states of Chiapas, Guerrero and Oaxaca.
Sub Minister of Prevention and Health Promotion, Pablo Kuri, said at a press conference that in America there have been 184 deaths from this cause, but in Mexico there have been no deaths.
With Easter holiday season approaching, he urged people traveling to states where mosquito vectors of chikungunya are present to take precautions, in order to avoid infection and spread of this disease that causes severe joints pain.
He advised wearing long sleeves and long pants, using insect repellent, taking special care during sunset and sunrise, using anti mosquito curtains in windows and prevent stagnant water, where Aedes aegypti mosquito, which transmits chikungunya, breeds.
Facing the rainy season that starts in the coming months, Kuri Morales announced that an increase in cases is expected because the proliferation of this insect rises in that season.
However, he asked the public not to be alarmed by the increase of cases, since the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) requested to report not only confirmed cases, but also suspected cases.
Kuri Morales said that since December 2013, when chikungunya virus was detected in the Region of the Americas, 29,915 confirmed cases have been reported to PAHO.
He said about 300 million pesos will be allocated this year for prevention and sanitation to avoid mosquito vectors of dengue and chikungunya, which are the same.
Regarding dengue, Pablo Kuri said that an increase in cases is also expected over the previous year, when approximately 30,000 cases were reported. “We could reach the same (number) than in 2013, last year we had 50 percent less (cases) than in 2013“.
He explained that this increase will be caused by serotype 3. This more lethal strain has been reported in Mexico again.
Source: Notimex
