Issste begins certification process to guarantee malaria-free zones / @BerthaAlcalde @ISSSTE_mx >>>

#ISSSTE.- In order to guarantee malaria (also known as malaria) free zones in southeastern Mexico, the Instituto de Seguridad y Servicios Sociales de los Trabajadores del Estado (Issste) began a certification process that consists of implementing training actions for first contact medical personnel to provide early diagnosis and promote the availability of effective confirmatory tests for people living in areas at risk of acquiring the disease.

With the implementation of these protocols, Issste joins the agenda of the Global Malaria Strategy 2016-2030, adopted by the World Health Assembly.

In the framework of World Malaria Day, which is commemorated today, the national head of epidemiology at Issste explained that the disease is generated by the Plasmodium parasite, which is transmitted by the bite of the female mosquito of the Anopheles genus, and due to the fact that climatic conditions determine the development of certain diseases. Africa is home to up to 95 percent of cases.

According to the specialist, in 2023 and in the first four months of 2024, 263 confirmed cases of malaria have been registered in Mexico, of which 18 are autochthonous, while the rest correspond to infection acquired by people who traveled outside the country.

Regions with warm climates favor the spread of mosquitoes. Therefore, in the southeast of Mexico there is a greater probability of acquiring it, which is why states such as Campeche, Chiapas, Oaxaca and Tabasco may be red spots of vector transmission (insect bites) and where prevention and care efforts must be strengthened.

The specialist remarked the importance of establishing clinical approach protocols for malaria, since it can be confused with Zika, dengue and chikungunya; hence the importance of guaranteeing confirmatory tests for more accurate diagnoses.

The epidemiologist explained that symptoms begin ten days after the bite of the mosquito carrying the parasite, presenting fever, chills, headache, general malaise, pain in the bones, joints or muscles (arthralgia or myalgia), nausea or fatigue that can last from three to five days.

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