SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, Nov. 27 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The researcher María José Sierra Moro, from the Health Alerts and Emergencies Coordination Center of the Ministry of Health and the Networked Biomedical Research Consortium (CIBERESP), has pointed out that arboviruses, that is, viruses transmitted by insects, are a problem of growing public health not only in Spain, but throughout the world, so it is necessary to face it in a global way, coordinating specialists in human health, animal health and the environment under the paradigm of ‘One Health’ (One Health). ) at both state and regional and local levels.
This specialist in epidemiology and public health has been in charge of opening the Workshop on Surveillance and Control of Invasive Vectors that began to be taught today, Monday, at the University of La Laguna. This training forum brings together the best national specialists in virus-transmitting insects (vectors) and will take place until Wednesday the 29th at the Faculty of Pharmacy, where the theoretical sessions will be given, and at the Institute of Tropical Diseases and Public Health of the Canary Islands, which will host the practices in the afternoon.
The dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy, Susana Abdalá, highlighted that vector control is the main instrument to combat many conditions found in the poorest regions of tropical regions, causing an “unacceptable” number of deaths and delaying their recovery. socioeconomic development. Diseases that are also introduced into other countries through various means, hence the need to control the entry of the organisms that cause them. She highlighted the relevance of holding the workshop in the Canary Islands, an archipelago that, due to geography, climate and proximity to areas with endemic species, is especially sensitive to this problem.
Jacob Lorenzo Morales, director of the Institute of Tropical Diseases and Public Health of the Canary Islands, highlighted that this is the first workshop organized by the infectious diseases section of CIBERESP, which is a great honor, but also a great responsibility given the expectations created. He explained that in addition to specialists, the theoretical part has been opened to undergraduate students as an extension course, whom he invited to ask all their questions to the select group of invited speakers.
Now getting into the matter, María José Sierra focused her intervention on explaining the main characteristics of the National Plan for the Prevention and Control of Vector-Transmitted Diseases, approved in April of this same year and which is divided into four parts: diseases transmitted by Aedes ( dengue, chikungunya, zika and yellow fever; diseases transmitted by Culex (West Nile fever, Usutu and actions against the introduction of Rift Valley fever); integrated vector management; and clinical management guides. Throughout its intervention announced that work is already underway to add tick-related diseases to the plan soon.
For the specialist, it is evident that “something is moving in the world of vectors” simply by looking at the news about recent cases of dengue in Catalonia, Nile virus in Valencia and the arrival of specimens of the Aedes aegyptus mosquito to Tenerife. “None of that was expected and they are significant risks, there is a need to do something.” Similar alarms have also been raised in countries such as Italy and France, which have forced the action of their respective national health authorities.
He pointed out as especially worrying the spread of the Nile virus, of which there was an outbreak in Andalusia that affected 80 people, although it did not have much media impact because at that time the Covid-19 crisis was in full swing. But he specified that there have been outbreaks of this pathology for four consecutive years in Barcelona, Toledo, Huelva and Cáceres, in addition to Andalusia. “We have 20 cases this year and 5 are from blood donors. The feeling is that something is moving.”
There are multiple environmental, economic, ecological and other factors that affect vectors and cause them to be in continuous movement. Facing them is not easy and, therefore, the specialist advocates working under the “One Health” paradigm, which conceives health management horizontally and unifying the efforts of all health specialists, both human and animal at the same time. . “This is a puzzle, vector-borne diseases are fought with all the pieces. Otherwise, you don’t see the full picture.”
The new Plan was born precisely with that philosophy. It is true that work on its formulation began in 2019 but, again, the Covid-19 crisis paralyzed it until it was resumed in 2022 and approved a year later. Its objective is to reduce the burden of the disease, improve communication and reinforce surveillance and, to this end, it has five working groups in which it has tried to have all the relevant agents: on human health, animal health, management integrated vector management, clinical management guidelines and communication. In addition, it has two committees: the state committee for coordination and monitoring of the plan, and the response coordination committee, which is activated if there is a disease situation that is considered of national importance.
For Sierra, there are many challenges that must be faced in terms of vector-borne diseases. To begin with, achieve the involvement of all related actors: travelers and patients, who go to the health system if they have symptoms; health professionals, to provide early diagnoses and notifications; the community, to participate in the detection and surveillance of vectors when they appear; and entomology, to have greater control over these animals and have better training for health personnel. It is also necessary for institutions to assume their responsibility, which translates into providing the necessary resources.
