Exterior view of the Center for Molecular Immunology in Havana, Cuba on December 4, 2019. ACN PHOTO/ Ariel LEY ROYERO/ rrcc
The Minister of Health of Cuba, José Ángel Portal Miranda, confirmed this Friday The contributions of immunology to health in Cuba are diverse and this has been demonstrated with the development of five vaccine products against Covid-19.
Celebrating the International Day of Immunology that day, the head of the sector pointed out that the use of hyperimmune plasma, hematopoietic stem cells and various immunomodulators and antivirals, as well as diagnostic tests, is also crucial in combating the current pandemic. a SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Portal sent a message of congratulations to the professionalism and commitment of Cuban immunologists, particularly those working in National Health System institutions.
“Your work has been and continues to be vital in protecting and caring for the health of our people,” he wrote on his profile on the digital social network Facebook.
He also emphasized that Since the victory of the revolution, numerous events and advances in the field of immunology have taken place, and vaccination has been expanded and extended free of charge throughout the national territory., which led to the eradication of polio in just one year; as well as a dozen other infectious diseases that have since been controlled.
“The birth of Cuban immunology is associated with the introduction of vaccination against smallpox, as happened with its origin from the experiences of Edward Jenner in 1796,” Portal recalled.
He reminded that Dr. Tomás Romay conducted a similar experiment just eight years later involving his own children, and the successful result led to the expansion of smallpox vaccination throughout the Antilles island.
Cuba was the first country to eliminate rubella and congenital rubella syndromewith a joint strategy focused on adult women and children who have received a vaccine.
At the moment, The country’s national immunization program administers 12 vaccines averaging four million 800,000 annual doses of these individual or combined productsprotecting against 13 diseases and exceeding 98% nationwide coverage each year.
Among these vaccines, the pentavalent vaccine stands out, the five components of which are manufactured in the country, and since 2004 a total of eight immunogens of those used are manufactured in Cuba.
This country was also the first country to implement mass vaccination against Covid-19 in children between the ages of 2 and 18 using its own products Soberana 02 and Soberana Plus, developed at the Finlay Vaccine Institute.
More than 1.7 million infants have been vaccinated against this disease, which has helped prevent almost 70,000 cases at that age, and no one has died from this cause as of 2021.
On April 29th, Immunology Day is celebrated worldwide, an international initiative to encourage society to recognize this science that has contributed so much to public health.
The date was established in 2005 by the European Federation of Immunology Societies and has been celebrated worldwide since 2007 due to its great success.
(With information from Prensa Latina)