Pan American Health Organization warns of cases of cholera, polio, covid-19 and monkeypox in the region
“There are four health emergencies threatening our region,” Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) director Carissa Etienne said at a virtual press conference on Wednesday.
“The resurgence of cholera in Haiti is a reminder of the speed with which diseases can spread,” he warned, noting that just a few months ago the Caribbean country was on the verge of being declared free of the disease.
Etienne noted that “the spread of monkeypox appears to slow down”, although more than 2,300 new infections were reported in the Americas last week – which, with over 45,000 cases, account for 63% of the disease infections worldwide. .
According to PAHO, 95% of cases occurred among men and 56% among people with HIV and occurred mainly in the United States, but also in Brazil, Colombia and Mexico.
On 4 October, Brazil was the first country to receive an initial shipment of 9,800 doses of vaccines against the disease, followed by Chile. Other affected countries include the Bahamas, Belize, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guyana, Honduras, Jamaica, Panama, Peru and Trinidad and Tobago.
As for the covid-19 pandemic, downward trends in the world and the Americas “are an encouraging sign that we could move from the acute phase of the pandemic to a more controlled phase,” said the APHO director.
Even so, “the pandemic is still with us,” he insisted. Evidence of this is that more than 178,000 new cases were recorded in the region last week, where over 70% of people were fully vaccinated against covid-19. PAHO stressed the importance of improving vaccination rates, especially among the most vulnerable, and strengthening epidemiological surveillance.
He also spoke of another health emergency, polio, which causes paralysis and for which there is no cure or cure. In addition to the United States, which reported a case earlier this year, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Peru are at “very high risk” of polio transmission, the organization warned. “Our region is under pressure, which is why we need to invest and strengthen health systems,” said Etienne.
A country of great concern for PAHO is Haiti, the scene of violent demonstrations and looting for several weeks after the government announced a rise in fuel prices. More than three years after an outbreak that killed more than 10,000 people, Haiti confirmed 32 cases and 18 deaths from cholera as of 9 October.
More than 260 suspected cases await confirmation in the area around the capital, Port-au-Prince, and nearly a quarter of them have been found in children between the ages of one and four, according to the organization. Etienne believes the numbers are likely to be lower than the real ones, as cases are concentrated in areas affected by escalating violence and gang activity. “Cholera has come amid severe social and political unrest that hinder efforts to contain this outbreak,” he warned. / AFP
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