Asunción, March 14 (Prensa Latina) In order to control the chikungunya outbreak and increase in dengue cases in Paraguay, the Ministry of Health is stepping up measures to prevent Aedes mosquito breeding sites, the ministry reported today.
The National Malaria Eradication Service (Senepa) is responsible for inspecting houses in neighborhoods of Asunción, the capital, and in six districts of the Central Department with the highest numbers of sick and dead.
This week, fumigation work and reconnaissance talks continue in different areas of the capital and in the cities of San Lorenzo, Fernando de la Mora, Mariano R. Alonso, Itauguá, Lambaré and Ñemby, according to the same source.
Paraguay began this year with a complex epidemiological situation that continues to this day, hence the call from health authorities for permanent collective responsibility.
Again on Tuesday, the ministry urged citizens to remove all objects that can accumulate water and serve as breeding grounds for mosquitoes, recommending the use of repellents and mosquito nets, and installing metal screens on doors and windows.
Chikungunya symptoms include high fever, joint, headache, back and muscle pain, which are also typical signs of dengue.
Just last week, 10 people died from the serious complications of chikungunya and between 10,000 and 12,000 infections were reported daily.
Given this discouraging situation, medical professionals recommend that patients with underlying medical conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity seek medical attention at the onset of symptoms.
Earlier this month, the government sought advice from the Pan American Health Organization to investigate what its specialists consider “atypical behavior” of chikungunya fever on the state’s territory.
jha/mpv