The Nile virus continues to spread through the province of Seville. The Ministry of Health and Families has communicated this Friday the detection of two new infections originating in the municipalities of Bollullos de la Mitacion and La Puebla del Rio , of which no further data on the age or sex of those affected have been disclosed. According to the same sources, these are two cases that are hospitalized with a serious prognosis, one of them being treated in the ICU at a hospital in Soria, while the other is admitted to the Virgen del Rocio. The first of the cases has been confirmed by the National Center for Microbiology and the second by the reference laboratory in Granada.
With these two cases, there are already five confirmed this summer in the province of Seville, unfortunately, one of them, resulting in death. As in last year’s outbreak, the infections have their origin in the municipalities close to the humid and stagnant areas of the Bajo Guadalquivir marsh, with special incidence in Coria del Rio and La Puebla del Rio, where the greatest concentration is concentrated. number of rice fields and wetlands, a breeding area for mosquitoes whose bites are the cause of this disease, which can cause, among other complications, meningoencephalitis
The Ministry of Health informs that after knowing the positive result of these two new cases, all the protocols have been activated, as well as the public health measures provided for in them and, as established in points 7 and 10 of the Surveillance Program and Comprehensive Control of West Nile Fever Vectors (FNA), the Steering Committee scheduled for these points has been convened for next Tuesday to analyze these cases.
The confirmation of the first case of Nile virus this summer took place just two weeks ago, on August 18, in a 73-year-old woman, who ended up dying a day after her infection was made public when she had been admitted to the Virgin for several days. of the Rocio This first case caused a certain stir among the municipalities mostly affected by the spread of infected mosquitoes, which charged sharply against the Andalusian Administration, accusing it, in the words of the mayor of Coria del Rio, Modesto Gonzalez, of “incompetence” and “negligence” for not assume, according to its manifestations, the competences that, worth the redundancy, are incumbent on it in terms of the control and surveillance of peri-urban areas.
For its part, from the Ministry of Health and Families they defend the performance of various actions after the declaration of the outbreak of last year 2020, among which the creation of a group of experts in mosquito control with personnel from the CSIC, Service of mosquito control of the Diputacion de Huelva, University of Cordoba and technicians of the Junta de Andalucia of the organizations involved (animal health and wildlife control).
In this way, health sources report that, following the guidelines of this group, as well as those promulgated by the ECDC for control programs before FNO, the Development of the Surveillance and Integrated Control Program for Fever Vectors was carried out. West Nile (taken into consideration by the Governing Council and published on March 12 in BOJA) which is based on the preparation of a risk map, in which different layers are superimposed, such as the existence of wetland areas, rainfall regime, of temperatures, and detection of culex mosquitoes and viruses in previous seasons.
This program establishes the need for each municipality with risk level 2 or higher to carry out a Municipal Control and Surveillance Plan, for which reason each of them was individually notified of this need, sending the program that establishes the points that must be taken into account in its elaboration and execution, being later evaluated by the technicians of the territorial delegations.
On the other hand, work has been done in coordination with Animal Health technicians to increase the sampling points for equines and place them strategically in risk areas. This sampling is used as beacons that warn of the presence and circulation of the virus. In addition, this year this sampling has been advanced since the month of May. Work is also being done to finalize the implementation of regional entomological surveillance, which will make it possible to detect the circulation of mosquitoes of the Culex genus, the possible increase, and the circulation of the virus in them.
In addition, the Board defends that, after detecting the first presence of the virus this year, as well as the increase in Culex populations, this information was transferred to the affected municipalities so that they intensify control measures and execute municipal plans.
Preventive measures
From the Epidemiological Surveillance Service it is recalled that with the Nile virus there is no transmission from person to person and that said transmission is due to the bite of infected mosquitoes. For this reason, they insist on measures to prevent infection in humans, based on avoiding bites, which is why it is recommended to use mosquito nets on windows and doors; try not to stay outdoors between dusk and dawn.- Try to leave the light off; follow daily correct body hygiene; avoid intense perfumes; wear clothing that covers the skin as much as possible and shake it off before use if you have lain outside; Make proper use of repellents, strictly following the recommendations on the mode and frequency of use described by the manufacturer.
