The television program “Mesa Redonda” analyzed this Wednesday the impact of arboviruses on the health of the Cuban population, with an emphasis on the spread of chikungunya and the measures adopted to confront the disease. Specialists from the Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP) and the Pedro Kourí Institute of Tropical Medicine (IPK) participated in the discussion.
Ileana Morales Suárez, National Director of Science and Technological Innovation at MINSAP, reported that chikungunya presents a dynamic scenario in 2025 with transmission hotspots in 40 countries, and that in Cuba, global and local factors converged to favor its spread.
Morales Suárez explained that climate change, urbanization, population mobility, and the presence of the vector combined with a high level of susceptible and aging population, generating an epidemiological collision.
He also added that the Innovation Committee, responsible for ensuring scientific rigor in intervention proposals, has been reactivated, and that five new research projects were approved this week, including clinical studies and trials to better characterize the virus’s behavior in the country.
The first health interventions will be implemented in Havana and will target older adults. Biomodulin T will be used in people aged 70 to 74, while those over 75 will receive the flu vaccine. The distribution of the product Curmeric is planned for the 60-69 age group.
Morales Suárez urged the population to avoid self-medication and seek medical attention, warning about the risks of following unverified information on social media.
Osvaldo Castro Peraza, an expert from the IPK Institute, stated that chikungunya presents more visible symptoms than other arboviral infections, with high fever, debilitating arthritis, and neurological and cardiovascular complications, requiring complete rest and medical supervision.
The specialist described all the phases of the disease and specified that the acute phase lasts up to three weeks and requires hospitalization for older adults with comorbidities, infants under two years old, pregnant women, and patients with persistent fever or severe dehydration.
Lissette López González, head of the National Pediatrics Group at the Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP), warned that all children under two years old must be hospitalized, and that newborns constitute a group of high concern due to their immunological immaturity. She noted that hydration is key to controlling temperature and reducing inflammation.
María del Carmen Domínguez Horta, a researcher at the Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, reported that clinical trials are underway with the drug Jusvinza, used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and COVID-19 patients, to evaluate its potential inclusion in the chikungunya treatment protocol.
Morales Suárez concluded that the updated national protocol (version 1.2) includes preventive, therapeutic, and rehabilitative approaches, with an emphasis on the chronic phase, and that vector control through outdoor sanitation and family responsibility is essential to protect vulnerable groups.
[ SOURCE: AGENCIA CUBANA DE NOTICIAS / MESA REDONDA
