José Ángel Portal Miranda Minister of Public Health. Photo: Estudios Revolución

Havana, Sept 22 (RHC) During a meeting of the Government's Temporary Working Group for the prevention and control of COVID-19, headed by the President of the Republic, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, and the Prime Minister, Manuel Marrero Cruz, it was reiterated that dengue continues to be the most complex hygienic-sanitary situation we have in the country today.

The head of the Ministry of Public Health, José Ángel Portal Miranda, informed that there is dengue transmission in the 15 provinces and the Isla de la Juventud. The incidence rate of suspected cases in the last week, the 37th of the year, increased concerning the previous week by 2.5%.

The infestation and disease rates continue to alert that institutional, family, and business responsibility in terms of reducing the outbreaks of the Aedes aegypti mosquito is key to dengue control, starting with the quality of the work of those who are part of the anti-vectorial campaign.

The videoconference meeting with political and governmental authorities from all the country's territories was attended by the president of the National Assembly of People's Power, Esteban Lazo Hernández; the deputy prime ministers, Commander of the Revolution Ramiro Valdés Menéndez, Inés María Chapman Waugh, Ricardo Cabrisas Ruíz, Alejandro Gil Fernández, and Jorge Luis Perdomo Di-Lella, as well as ministers and other authorities.

The meeting, which systematically analyzes the behavior of a group of sectors and activities directly linked to the daily life of the population, also evaluated the COVID-19 epidemic, whose indicators continue to show a sustained decline, a sign of the control Cuba has achieved in the fight against the disease and the transmission of the virus.

The issue was also discussed at the weekly meeting of the President of the Republic and the Prime Minister with experts and scientists on health issues. Doctor of Science Gerardo Guillén Nieto, director of Biomedical Research at the Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB), presented the Cuban strategy for the dengue vaccine.

It is a path that still requires time, but is becoming increasingly viable given the solidity of the knowledge and results achieved by Cuban scientists working on this initiative, which has achieved great international prestige.

It is a national project that began in 1992, at the initiative of Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro Ruz, and is jointly developed by the Pedro Kourí Institute of Tropical Medicine (IPK) and the CIGB.

At this week's meeting of health experts and scientists, the usual forecasts on the behavior of the COVID-19 epidemic for the days to come were also presented.

The information was explained, as usual, by Doctor of Science Raul Guinovart Diaz, dean of the Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science of the University of Havana.

He said that the reports of the disease in the country continue to decline in all provinces and in the coming weeks the control of the disease should be maintained.

The prevention and control actions of the new coronavirus were also analyzed by Dr. Ileana Morales Suarez, director of Science and Technological Innovation of Minsap, who gave an update on the Cuban vaccination strategy against COVID-19.

She explained that the country will soon apply 42 million doses of national vaccines to our population. Cuba continues to lead this process worldwide, with 400 doses per 100 inhabitants.

COVID-19 is not over, said Dr. Morales Suárez; however, she added, only 67.9% of the world's population has received at least one dose; however, in low-income countries, immunization has only reached 22.5% of their inhabitants.

Only seven countries, including Cuba, have over 90% of the population fully vaccinated; at the same time, booster doses at the international level do not exceed 31%, she added.

The Director of Science and Technological Innovation of Minsap added that in our country 1,930,357 children and adolescents are fully immunized, 98.8% of the people of those ages who can be vaccinated; and 1,459,392 have received booster doses.

This is something that makes us proud, that speaks of the effort and dedication of those who work in our scientific centers and the health system, Dr. Morales Suárez pointed out. (Taken from the website of the Presidency)