As if the mosquitoes were speeding up their work knowing the imminence of a "subpolar wave", announced for this Wednesday and which will bring four or five days of sanitary cold, the latest figures for the
dengue epidemic
were surprising due to the magnitude of the jump.
The official survey of cases and deaths released this Sunday is already beginning to show the consequences of the
unusual and sustained
lack of repellent. There are pharmacy chains in which there has not been a single drop of that product for three weeks. The same situation is replicated in other outlets in the City.
The new epidemiological report showed an unexpected shock
between the
bulletins of the Nation and the province of Buenos Aires
, regarding the number of dengue infections in that key district. The data for week 13 reported from La Plata created, for a few hours, the
expectation
that the upward trend could begin to reverse.
“
Clear decrease
in the number of reported cases,” said the Buenos Aires report. Although the survey clarified - as the formality warrants - that the marked drop could be due to the
delay in registration
. Indeed, those seductive numbers would end up being a mirage in the desert of bad news, a fake after all, which was explained by the administrative delay.
The latest bulletin from the Province indicated a total of 47,128
confirmed
cases
. That meant just 1,103 more cases than week 12. If compared to the speed at which infections had been growing until now, the difference was notable.
Patients with dengue symptoms wait at a Buenos Aires guard to be treated. Photo: AP
Between week 11 and 12, cases had gone from
35,434 to 46,026
, that is, a difference of
10,592
. A week earlier (the 10th) the report had shown a total of 25,033 and the previous week, 13,924. The retrospective curve continued in week 8 with 7,883 and week 7, with 2,997 confirmed.
As can be seen, it was the first time this season that the progression could have had - if the data had been faithful - a significant brake on the transmitting inertia of the
Aedes aegypti
. And just when the arrival of a flight from Poland with repellents that the SC Johnson laboratory decided to import was announced after the Government, with the country already
bursting with cases
, cleared the process.
The Buenos Aires Minister of Health, Fernán Quirós, added his optimism in the last hours by stating that the epidemic was entering its final stage, which
lent the hope
. It seemed that all that remained was to hope that the marked drop in temperature this week, with
maximum temperatures expected at 19 degrees
, would end up accommodating things in favor of the health of Argentines.
But this Sunday, finally, reality prevailed, much more bitter than what the Province outlined with provisional figures. The confirmed cases in that district, strictly speaking, reached
56,881 in week 13
, almost
10 thousand more
than the local ministry reported in its own bulletin.
Record wave of dengue and vaccine debate
While all this is happening, with an unprecedented volume of more than
232 thousand cases nationwide and 161 deaths
(almost triple the number of deaths in 2023), of which 34 are from the Province and 19 from the Capital, the decision of the national State regarding the
dengue vaccine
, despite the fact that the National Immunization Commission (Conain) has already given it approval.
A woman receives a dose against dengue in the free campaign carried out in Misiones. Photo: Twelve TV
What the experts said is that Javier Milei should move forward with the application of the drug in
focused areas
and targeting specific age groups. But the libertarian management considers that all information in this regard is media, business and political pressure. Conain will meet again on April 14. It goes without saying, in light of the facts, that his recommendations
are not binding
.
In the event that the Ministry led by Mario Russo finally decides to move forward with the vaccine, only then will we have to wait for a period of manufacturing it (the delivery time is estimated at three months), so if they begin to vaccinate specific groups between July and August, the second dose would be applied between October and November, in order to
prevent
an eventual (and almost certain) future outbreak from spreading again in an unsuspecting country.
P.S.