Malaria case confirmed in Cuba: Patient’s progress favorable

The Pedro Correa Institute of Tropical Medicine (IPK) in Havana has confirmed the diagnosis of an imported case of malaria.

The case was detected on January 26 in a traveler from the Sancti Spiritus municipality of Jatibonico, who had arrived from Angola.

Dr. Carlos Ruiz Santos, director of the Provincial Center of Hygiene, Epidemiology and Microbiology of Sancti Spiritus, confirmed this Escambre That no imported cases of the disease have been recorded in the region since 2020.

The patient, who is not a health aide, arrived in Jatibonico from the People’s Republic of Angola on 24 December. After spending several days at home, on January 17 he began experiencing fever, general malaise, and skin lesions. On January 23 he decided to seek medical help and was admitted because he came from a country endemic for malaria and other diseases.

A complementary analysis (thick smear) was positive for vivax type malaria, a disease spread by mosquitoes of the Anopheles species. Since then, the patient is admitted to the infectious room 4A of the Camilo Cienfuegos General Provincial Hospital.

Malaria case in Cuba: Sancti Spiritus

Health officials have conducted an active investigation covering more than 1,000 households within a 1,000-metre radius around the patient’s home. In addition, 1,025 houses were fumigated on three occasions and nets were set up to catch adult mosquitoes. Additional home treatments were also performed with two high-tech equipment.

At present no new positive case has been reported. However, work on the focus control will continue until 21 days have passed since its inauguration. Once the patient is discharged, they will be monitored for 6 months due to the possibility that they may have some form of parasite in their liver tract, which may later become adult and cause disease again. Is.

The media reminds that upon returning to Cuba all travelers must present themselves to their medical office within 48 hours for proper monitoring.