Public Health explains the death of an elderly Cuban woman in a nursing home allegedly caused by scabies

Cuban authorities were forced to respond to the case Elderly woman who died of scabies in nursing home Norway (a severe form of common scabies, known as crusted scabies), a horrifying story that spread on the Internet and highlights the conditions of neglect suffered by many elderly people in the country.

This week, journalists Ernesto Morales Published photos of an elderly woman who arrived at “La Dependente” Clinical Surgical Hospital in Havana on Monday. full of ants and insects, and within half an hour he died,

According to him, two other people also reached the hospital in the same condition and they also died. The patients were in the 28 January Nursing Home, located on Dolores Street between rooms 10 and 11, Lawton, Díaz de Octubre Municipality.

Morales has shared a video in which you can see The woman’s face is completely covered with insects and some black insects look like ants, which are also on the sheet. Which covers him from the neck down. It is clearly visible how Animals walk on it.

“I can’t explain how disgusting it is to allow them to reach a state of disintegration,” he said.

After the news created a stir, the Municipal Health Directorate issued a note stating that the elderly woman’s name was Adelaida Zamora Torriente, she was 90 years old and had been in the home for five and a half months, where she arrived “due to social norms. “And with problems of high blood pressure, arthritis, dorsal kyphosis, gastritis, malnutrition and disability.

According to the post, over the years the grandmother maintained “a favorable evolution, without incidents, with the treatment of her conditions” until on Friday, February 3, a dermatologist, without confirmation, diagnosed her with Norwegian scabies and chronic dermatitis. done. Source of infection. “To There are no other cases with this diagnosis in the householdnor with similar symptoms”.

According to the note, the patient was prescribed bath treatments with warm water and soap, permethrin cream or petroleum jelly, and hydrocortisone and triamcinolone for skin improvement, in addition to washing bedding and pajamas with warm water, “since home I have the conditions to accomplish it,” the text says.

The same day, the home care doctor confirmed that Adelaida’s condition was worsening and decided to inform the family (her only daughter), an interview which took place on Monday, 5 February. The daughter went to the center that day and returned on Thursday.

The information read, “On Friday, February 9, Adelaida woke up feeling very weak, drowsy, had decreased muscle strength, and incoherent speech, which is possibly interpreted as ischemia. Given this condition, His attending physician diagnosed him with ongoing cerebrovascular disease.” ,

The note indicates that the elderly woman was referred to La Dependiente Hospital, and while she was there with her daughter, she died around 11:00 a.m., as a result of a neurological condition.

According to the Health Directorate, the home was visited and found to be in good sanitary conditions and the elders looked adequate, the patient received good care, and her daughter was satisfied and admitted that her condition was deteriorating rapidly. .

“Norwegian scabies is characterized by a generalized rash of scaly, erythematous papules and plaques (…) The remains shown in the image are not ants, but part of the lesions (scabs) Caused by hyperkeratosis,” he explained.

Cuban Internet users reacted with outrage to the official response from the Ministry of Public Health.

One said, “I don’t know about you, but I’ve seen the video and I don’t know anything about medicine and Norwegian scabies and all that… but whatever was on the woman’s body, she was going on.”

“Bedbugs? No, sorry, Norwegian scabies… Elegance above all. You have no forgiveness, neither in this life nor in the next,” said another.

“They’re not ashamed anymore. Children’s story. Dying of scabies in ‘healing power’,” a third said sarcastically.

“What a lack of respect, but also of humanity and empathy. That woman had maggots crawling on her body, but she was also rotting alive. (…) Thieves, disgusting murderers. He condemned the doctors who diverted resources Tried to save people’s lives without any help and now they let rotting old men die with maggots in an obvious state of decomposition,” a young woman asked.