The disease advanced in Uruguay, although it still does not affect humans. Cerro Largo continues without horses committed.
He Ministry of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries (MGAP) specified that 61 cases of encephalomyelitis equine in Uruguay, being Long Hill the only one of the departments that has not been affected so far.
At the same time, some 60,000 doses of vaccine against the disease, as specified in a statement by the General Directorate of Livestock Services, through the Animal Health Division, according to the planned schedule that indicated that 25,000 would arrive in December and 21,000 in January, compared to the 10,800 previously available.
The government reported the cases by department, being Saint Joseph and Paysandu the most affected, with 13 cases each, followed by Saint Joseph, with 9. Further back they appear Tacuarembó (4), Artigas, Lavalleja and Rocha, with 3 each; Canelones, Flores, Rivera, Soriano and Treinta y Tres, with 2; and Peach, Montevideo and Salto, with 1.
When analyzing the total confirmed cases, the morbidity rose to 5.25%, while the mortality went to 1.51%, which implies 30.22% of lethality over the total of 13,666 horses in 450 establishments visited by the MGAP.
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Fernando Mattos asked for more budget to buy vaccines
Although today the country has 60,000 vaccines, the head of the MGAP, Fernando Mattos, He noted that “every effort is being made to introduce more,” by requesting a larger budget from the government.
In any case, he called for individual care of the people and the use of repellents, although there are still no cases in humans. “The horse may be protected, but the mosquito will continue to be infected, therefore the risk of inoculation of the infected mosquito into humans is still present,” he warned. Mattos.
MGAP warnings about the disease
Faced with the progression of the disease and the possibility of human contagion, he MGAP issued a series of warnings detailed below:
- The disease is viral and is transmitted from birds to mosquitoes.
- The human being and the equine are incidental guests when they are bitten by mosquitoes carrying the virus.
- An infected horse has a negligible risk of contagion towards other horses and humans.
- Encephalomyelitis is predominantly seen in humid areas, where large niches of mosquitoes are found coexisting with birds that act as reservoirs.
- Mosquito control is important, the use of repellents authorized during the period of greatest mosquito activity.
What are the symptoms in humans?
On the other hand, given possible symptoms in humans, the Ministry of Public Health (MSP) He detailed what the signs are:
- High fever.
- Intense headache.
- Neck stiffness.
- Confusion or altered mental status.
- Seizures.
- Muscular weakness.
Source: Ambito
