by Since November 28, a epidemiological alert by Western Equine Encephalitis (WEE) in horses, whose potential for transmission to humans was feared. The mosquito that spread the disease through bites is the one that invaded the City in recent days as a result of the abundant rains and floods.
Until now, it was believed that there was only one person in the country who had contracted EEO. The case had been reported ten days ago. It was a man residing in Reconquista, in the province of Santa Fe. However, there were several other cases. suspects, but unconfirmed. Now the real scenario was known, which includes up to a death.
This lack of confirmation, it was learned in the last hours, was due to the fact that the technique used for detection none were effective. As explained by the Ministry of Health, this technique was changed and made it possible to determine that, until the closing of this note, the number of cases in humans had raised to 12.
The disease affects horses – 1,187 outbreaks have already been reported in horses in the country – and is transmitted to people through a different species of mosquitoes to which he infected dengue. This is Aedes albifasciatus, also known as the “flood mosquito”. His repentant appearance occurred in the last few days.
The EEO is a neurological pathology with an incubation period of two to ten days. In most cases, the virus produces asymptomatic symptoms, although it can also present with fever, headache, fatigue, muscle aches and general malaise, symptoms that usually resolve within seven to ten days.
However, the disease can progress to paintings more graves when it leads to encephalitis or meningitis. In that case they are already added other symptoms such as vomiting, drowsiness, confusion, prostration and tremors.
The Ministry of Health explained, in the National Epidemiological Bulletin of week 51, published on Saturday night, that “given the emergency of OEE in horses, the epidemiological surveillance of WEE in humans through the National Health Surveillance System.”
He also explained that he just joined in the last week “to diagnostic algorithm etiological technique for detecting IgM antibodies for the WEE virus. It is considered that the detection of specific antibodies in CSF (n. of R: cerebrospinal fluid) confirms infection with the WEE virus in a case with neurological manifestations”.
The report added that “in this context, serum and CSF samples from patients notified as suspects were processed, the majority of whom had been classified as inconclusive suspects since they had initially been studied by molecular methodologies obtaining the same results not detectable”.
Eventually, WEE infection was confirmed in 12 cases, including the case that had already been reported previously. From the beginning of surveillance, within four weeks 63 suspected cases in 10 provinces and a dozen were confirmed: 5 in Buenos Aires, 6 in Santa Fe and 1 in Entre Ríos.
In total there are 24 inconclusive suspected cases which also cover the provinces of Chaco, Corrientes, Formosa, La Pampa and Santiago del Estero. In the City of Buenos Aires there are to date a single case classified as “suspicious”.
Regarding age groups, of the 12 cases already confirmed, they range from 9 months to 72 years. Mostly these are men between 30 and 70 years old. 92 percent of the cases correspond to men.
All infected required hospitalization: 7 of them are discharged, 4 remain hospitalized and one died. The latter is a 66-year-old man from Santa Fe who began showing symptoms at the end of November. He resided and engaged in recreational activities in a rural area and had diabetes. The case fatality rate ranges between 3 and 4 percent.
Prevention against mosquitoes
The director of the Mosquito Study Group of the Faculty of Exact and Natural Sciences of the University of Buenos Aires, Sylvia Fischer, warned in recent hours about the invasion and circulation of the Aedes albifasciatus mosquito, which can transmit WEE from horses to humans.
“We are with a big peak of abundance of the species,” he assured. It is especially noticeable in the AMBA, from where these mosquitoes emerged as a result of the floods after the last rains. That is why the experts decided to increase the precautionary measures.
These measures, according to the Ministry of Health, are the drainage or filling of temporary waterlogging spaces that can serve as incubation sites for mosquito larvae and weeded in the surroundings of homes and green spaces to reduce the presence of adult mosquitoes. The use of repellents and spirals is also recommended, and the evaluation of fumigations.
