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It was held in the Roberto Gold auditorium

Healthcare specialists attended a dengue outbreak drill.

The drill was carried out on Friday, December 3, within the framework of the Conference on Advances in Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers and Flavivirus Encephalitis organized by Fundación Mundo Sano and the National Institute of Human Viral Diseases “Dr. Julio Maiztegui.”

For two days, health specialists participated in a conference and debate organized by Fundación Mundo Sano and the National Institute of Human Viral Diseases “Dr. Julio Maiztegui” (INEVH.)

Biologists, physicians, infectologists, and vets were some of the specialists that participated in the outbreak drill, during the closure of the Conference on Advances in Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers and Flavivirus Encephalitis. Symptoms proposed by the organization, diagnosis and therapies were discussed in small groups. Moreover, renowned specialists presented advances and experiences on Argentine hemorrhagic fever, Hantavirus, yellow fever, and leptospirosis, among other diseases. The opening ceremony was in charge of Lic. Marcelo Abril, Director of Programs and Projects at Mundo Sano, and Dr. Delia Enría, Director at INEVH.

Dr. Ana María Briggiler approached diagnosis methods, therapies and prevention measures for Argentine hemorrhagic fever, a virus transmitted by a wild rodent whose biologic cycle is favored by urban areas ruralization, farms located in the periphery, and abundance of weeds. “The endemic area of the FHA comprises the North of the Province of Buenos Aires, the South of Santa Fe, the South of Córdoba, and the Northeast of La Pampa,” stated the specialist from the INEVH.?Moreover, Tomás Orduna, specialist from  Muñiz Hospital, highlighted the problem of Dengue and Yellow Fever surveillance, control, therapy, and diagnosis . Orduna, considered “change of global warming climatic type, population subject to infection, disorganized urbanization trend, and lack of prevention programs,” as factors that favor the development of vectors.

Strategies for dengue prevention

Diego Weinberg, Manuel Espinosa, and Andrea Gómez, specialists in Biology at Fundación Mundo Sano, tackled general vectorial surveillance and control aspects, particularly regarding Aedes aegypti, the dengue transmitting insect.

Surveillance of vectors is used to collect previous information to plan control actions. In the case of dengue, surveillance actions are monitoring of ovitramps (in populations with low infestation); larval samples (they allow identifying potential key breeding sites) and adult sampling (they allow studying their dispersion and longevity.)

Control tasks aim at minimizing circulation of transmitting vectors of the disease. Environmental control includes cleaning of junk, cleaning of gutters and roofs, maintenance of tanks, water supply management, and natural breeding management. Moreover, the application of insecticides in permanent containers that cannot be eliminated is called chemical control.