The mosquito, a silent enemy

There is a popular proverb which says that nobody cheats for someone else’s head; this is very much applied to everyday life, especially if you ignore advice and warnings.

But when the matter concerns our health, the health of family and friends, this type of proverb emanating from experiences that result in an unhappy outcome cannot become the rule.

These days, in the Greatest of the Antilles there is an atmosphere of collective work and even of mobilization to put an end to the Mosquito Aedes Aegypti, cause of arbovirosis such as zika, dengue, chikungunya and yellow fever.

It is known to all Cubans that for years the island has been the focus of not a few intensive campaigns for its elimination, due to the persistence of this insect in the national panorama, as one who tries to be part of the daily life of a nation that resists day by day to its effects.

Extending control measures from September to November throughout the country is a priority today, even in times of tension in the face of the current energy situation, which has not affected the will of a people.

The resources of the anti-vector campaign are assured precisely because of the importance that the Cuban State attaches to the health of its people.

With the participation of public health institutions, companies, local bodies, political and mass organizations, an intensive treatment of focal, adulticide and investigations is being developed, carried out by vector control workers.

A few days ago, a young woman, a neighbor of the city of Pinar del Río, expressed her admiration for these tireless men and women in their effort to watch over the welfare of others, beyond the very unconsciousness of those who often contribute to the proliferation of the mosquito, “as if they were immune to diseases.

But goodwill and vigilance strategies in Cuba will be of no use if the population in homes, workplaces and communities does not decide to act in accordance with the danger represented by the vector.

There is a lot of talk about this issue, and it does not cease to have connotation, especially due to the increase in the transmission of dengue fever and the fact that about 65 percent of the outbreaks are located in homes.

The indolence of a few on innumerable occasions creates the propitious scenario for the proliferation of the insect and the occurrence of the ailments associated with it.

Faced with the threat posed by the Aedes Aegypti, taking action becomes urgent, and this leads to the obligation to fumigate dwellings, workplaces and public spaces.

That the organisms and entities in charge carry out in an effective way the collection of solid waste, suppress water outlets and lead to de facto hygienization of streets and avenues.

However, the sanitation of communities is also the obligation of their inhabitants, those who sometimes prefer to dump garbage in inappropriate places instead of moving it to the sites intended for that purpose.

Likewise, infractions or conducts that result in the spread of epidemics must necessarily be rigorously sanctioned, as typified in the Penal Code.

The family autofocal continues to be the most effective way from each house to eliminate possible breeding grounds and prevent the rise of a silent enemy, which does not distinguish between one and the other.
(Taken from ACN in Spanish)

Written by Radio Grito de Baire