These achievements are made possible by the Revolution, which with great sacrifice has supported the development of our public health system – universal, free and accessible to 100% of the Cuban population, focused on human beings and not profit.

Although the battle is far from over, Cuba has managed to remain in a favorable position in the fight against the pandemic. Our biopharmaceutical industry and other scientific centers are currently conducting 70 research projects and clinical trials, in addition to producing medicines to the treat COVID patients, which have been requested by dozens of nations.

“The use of two novel drugs to control the hyper-inflammatory reaction that can occur in the lungs, has increased survival rates of patients in serious condition to more than 80% and for those in critical condition to more than 75%,” reported Minister of Public Health José Ángel Portal Miranda.

This is not the reality for sister peoples across our continent, and we cannot remain indifferent. The World Health Organization recently declared Latin America as the new epicenter of the pandemic, adding to the existing burden we bear as the most unequal region on the planet, a result of decades of plunder of our natural resources and neoliberal policies.

As we have done previously in the Non-Aligned Movement Forum and the World Health Assembly, Cuba yesterday, May 28, reiterated our solidarity with the peoples of the region and of the world, during a Latin American and Caribbean Parliaments online working meeting.

The Vice President of the National Assembly of People’s Power, Ana María Mari Machado, speaking during the debate, recalled that, without neglecting the our own people, 28 brigades of Cuban health professionals have joined the efforts of 24 other countries to combat the pandemic, adding to the more than 28,000 collaborators who were already providing services in 59 nations, despite the campaign of the United States government against Cuban medical cooperation, to discredit and sabotage our efforts.

Let others promote hatred, wars and lies, silencing inconvenient facts. Cuba prefers to give an example in action, offering the best of our people’s values, and continuing to serve as a sister around the world, tirelessly, in defense of life.

(Source: Granma)

“By decision of the country’s leadership,” explains the hospital’s director, Lieutenant Colonel Doctor Abel Poulot Mendoza, “Today there is only one mission: to serve our people, by providing isolation, diagnosis and treatment for suspected and confirmed Covid-19 patients, in the region that includes the provinces of Granma, Santiago de Cuba and Guantánamo.”

“Such a sensitive task,” he points out, “implies, more than ever, that we show, nationally and internationally, the high level of professionalism, science and humanism that characterize our hospital, and to do so, we have all conditions in place for admission and medical assistance of Cuban and foreign patients, in addition to specialized equipment and logistics in general.”

NOT A SINGLE GLITCH

Amidst impeccable cleanliness and strict order, the facility’s wards hold 180 beds, of which 74 are designated for patients with suspicious respiratory symptoms, and persons who have recently traveled abroad or had sustained contact with travelers. Additionally, the hospital has intensive care facilities available for up to 13 patients.

Three beds are reserved for pregnant women in the emergency area, and anticipating possible births, cribs and an incubator are available. A similar number of beds have been set aside for pediatrics, and two for patients with chronic renal failure who could require hemodialysis.

The head of the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Major Dr. Jacno Ferrer Castro, who attended the national coronavirus preparatory course in Havana, said that the hospital has developed a diagnostic and therapeutic protocol to guide the work of doctors, nurses, epidemiologists, clinical and microbiological laboratories in confronting the disease.

With respect to technical support, he emphasized that the ICU is fully equipped with mechanical ventilators, infusion pumps, perfusion syringes and other medical devices and supplies to care for patients in critical condition, none of which has been used to date, since far from evolving toward serious condition, all cases have responded well to treatment and have exhibited what are described as mild symptoms.

For her part, Dr. Mislay Rodriguez Garcia, deputy director of teaching, noted that among the institution’s human resources are many PhDs in Medical Sciences, specialists, MSc professionals with significant teaching and research experience, who were added to the staff in certain specialties by Public Health authorities, given the health emergency.

The three specialists at the hospital who participated in the national course for the prevention and control of Covid-19, held at the Pedro Kourí Institute of Tropical Medicine (IPK) in Havana, first offered training to hospital staff and then to personnel at medical posts providing primary care for Revolutionary Armed Forces units.

The fundamental content of this training was meant for clinical personnel on the front lines in this battle, nursing staff and those in labs and service departments, responsible for diagnosis of the disease, the taking of samples and ensuring compliance with security norms.

A DOSE OF LOVE AND COMMITMENT

Valuing the established premises of this demanding mission, Lieutenant Colonel Dr. Poulot Mendoza recalled that staff members were asked to express their voluntary disposition to assume the task, and everyone stepped forward, reflecting the Revolutionary Armed Forces commitment to our people, and support of the country’s leadership. It was not easy, he noted, to convince the few who, for health reasons, could not participate.

Three brigades were organized, with a majority female presence and including all medical and logistic personnel required. Each group is on duty for 14 days, without leaving the hospital, and once relieved will spend the next two weeks in quarantine, at a designated site. After that, brigade members conduct epidemiological surveillance in the community, staying at home for another 14 days, before restarting the work cycle.

“The mission is not easy,” stated Eneida Herrera Vega, a university trained civilian nurse, working in the intensive care unit, “I left my daughters, aged 13 and 17, and my 83-year-old mother, at home, but we chose this profession, indispensable to the population’s health, and we cannot betray the confidence shown in us by the FAR and the country’s leadership.”

Agreeing with her are nurse Yumileidys Antomachí Montes who thinks of her four-year-old son, along with clinical lab technicians Valentina Landuet Zapata and Yakelín Machado Millán who miss the warmth of their families, but as the head of the nursing group, Yasmany Valdés Betancourt, insists, “This is a commitment to the country and to humanity.”

A tour of “El Militar,” as the people of Santiago call the hospital, clearly reflects that far from the commotion that some might imagine, given the situation, reigning here are serenity and confidence, both in patients and staff, clearly a result of the ample dose of sensitivity and love the group offers to successfully complete the mission.

(Source: Granma)

The institution’s National Reference Laboratory, of international prestige, is one of the three responsible for confirming cases of Covid-19, the disease resulting from this dangerous virus.

According to Dr. Manuel Romero Placeres, director of the institution – which is home to national reference centers for viral, bacterial, parasitic and mycological diseases, including HIV/AIDS – the symptoms that may indicate Covid-19 are fever, cough, runny nose, sore throat and general malaise, similar to other common types of flu, and said the elderly population is most likely to develop severe symptoms and complications after contracting the infection.

Dr. Eric Martínez Torres, a pediatric specialist at the center with extensive experience in this type of disease, said that, in general, children are the age group least likely to become infected.

This particularity, he said, yet to be well studied, has been noted in the current Covid-19 outbreak, as well as those of other previously seen coronaviruses.

He reported that dozens of beds have are available to receive infected patients, some of which are designated for pregnant women and children.

“The entire staff has been trained, both at the institute and in other Cuban facilities involved in this battle.”

Dr. Placeres explained that the protocol followed with individuals who exhibit symptoms associated with Covid-19, arriving at ports, airports, marinas and hospitals in the country, mandates their immediate transfer to isolation centers identified by health authorities in the different territories. Confirmed cases are later referred to reference hospitals in each region.

He noted that the IPK is caring for patients with the disease, as well as those admitted for surveillance.

Laboratories of the Provincial Centre of Hygiene, Epidemiology and Microbiology of Villa Clara and Santiago de Cuba have also been trained to conduct tests to confirm the virus’s presence.

These two provinces, he said, receive samples from the central and eastern regions of the country, respectively, while the IPK has this responsibility in the west, in addition to serving as a reference for the others. “The laboratories are well equipped and have the necessary means for diagnosing the disease, which have been provided by Ministry and the Pan-American Health Organization.”

Regarding the handling of samples, consisting of a nasal and pharyngeal exudate, the doctor noted that these are transported according to established biosafety protocols, protected in triple packaging, to avoid accidents involving technicians in charge of handling.

According to Dr. Placeres, samples are taken only from persons with suspicious clinical and epidemiological signs; that is, from people who have arrived from countries affected by the virus and who present symptoms associated with the disease, and those with whom they have had sustained contact.

The IPK director added that samples are taken between the first and seventh day of symptoms, with the most effective period being between the third and fifth day. In addition, he said, the most common drugs used with patients thus far are antiretrovirals and Oseltamivir, also used to combat influenza.

Regarding training being provided by the IPK, Dr. José Luis Aparicio Suárez, head of the Ministry of Public Health’s Postgraduate Department, described the work as “a continuous, sequential process, targeting specific groups, according to their profession or occupation. The courses we give are for those who can use the knowledge, which includes directors of the country’s main medical institutions, epidemiologists, pediatric and adult intensive care specialists, and others,” he said.

Dr. Aparicio explained that professionals being trained serve as facilitators, sharing what they learn in their home territories, ensuring that information, and protocols to be followed, are extended not only to personnel in the Cuban health system, but to the general population, as well.

In this regard, Dr. Guadalupe Guzmán, head of the IPK’s Research, Diagnostic and Reference Center, said that thousands of workers in the national health system and also personnel from other sectors have received training on the new coronavirus, which serves to support implementation of the national Covid-19 control and prevention plan.

This effort makes use of the existing network of medical schools and reaches community family doctors’ offices – the basic unit of our health system. Likewise, social and mass organizations are holding health hearings and educational talks at workplaces and in neighborhoods, to ensure that all citizens are informed and developing a culture of healthcare and epidemiological awareness, to fully appreciate the danger posed by Covid-19.

In context

The Pedro Kourí Institute of Tropical Medicine (IPK) was founded on December 8, 1937 by Professor Pedro Kourí Esmeja, an eminent Cuban parasitologist, to conduct research primarily in the field of parasitology and tropical medicine, in collaboration with the University of Havana’s school of medicine, and based at Calixto Garcia Hospital.

Notable studies were carried out here, contributing to Dr. Kourí’s international prominence in the field. Findings on the biology of the causal agent of Fasciola, its pathogenic action, diagnosis, prophylaxis and epidemiology, were among the most important.

Taking into account the growing presence of Cuban internationalists in different geographical areas of the planet, in 1979 the country’s leadership called upon Dr. Gustavo Kourí Flores (Pedro Kourí’s son) to assume the mission of promoting the development of what would be come to be the Pedro Kourí Institute of Tropical Medicine.

The Institute would have its first great challenge facing the national health emergency created by the dengue hemorrhagic fever epidemic in 1981, leaving158 deaths, including 101 children. Within a short period of time, researchers here were able to isolate the virus that caused the illness (dengue serotype 2), which had never before appeared in our region.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has recognized the IPK as a Collaborating Center for the Study of Dengue and its Vector, and in conjunction with the Pan American Health Organization, a Collaborating Center for the elimination of Tuberculosis.

The IPK has played a vital role in the diagnosis, prevention, control and treatment of various diseases and epidemics that have occurred in Cuba, such as the appearance of HIV/AIDS in the late 1980s – continuing to serve as the national reference center for the diagnosis and treatment of AIDS complications – as well as hemorrhagic conjunctivitis, malaria, neuropathy, viral encephalitis, leptospirosis, h1n1 influenza (2009), cholera (2012) and other dengue outbreaks over the past two decades. Cuban health brigades received intensive training at the IPK, to prepare for their work fighting the Ebola epidemic in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea Conakry (2014).

On October 29, 1993, the current facility was inaugurated by Comandante en jefe Fidel Castro Ruz, who stated that day, “Please do not consider the Pedro Kourí Institute, which we inaugurate today, only as a Cuban institution, but as an institution for humanity.”

(Source: Granma)

1- Maintain epidemiological surveillance at ports of entry for all residents returning to the country from abroad.

2- Increase the number of health personnel at all air, land and sea terminals within the country, to prevent passengers with fever or respiratory symptoms from boarding any means of public transportation.

3- Issue a red card advisement (epidemiological surveillance, Mod. 82-32) to all travelers from abroad, indicating the obligation to cooperate with the epidemiological surveillance process and report to health authorities immediately upon reaching their final destination.

4- Place in isolation for surveillance, upon arrival, all travelers from abroad who are Cuban residents, for a period of 14 days, in institutions established by Public Health authorities. Failure to comply with this health measure may constitute a crime.

5- Increase clinical-epidemiological surveillance and medical supervision for international visitors in hotels, during their stay at these facilities. The Ministry of Public Health will coordinate with Tourism authorities to increase the number of health personnel on hand to ensure compliance with this measure.

6- Provide medical surveillance check-ups for all staff members continuing to work in hotels, twice a day, by trained health personnel.

7- The presence of any person with respiratory issues or symptoms in workplaces, schools or other centers is prohibited, and such individuals are required to immediately visit a public health facility to be evaluated.

8- Reinforce home care by family doctors and nurses, giving priority to vulnerable sectors of the population, as well as new mothers and infants. Provide older adults the support they need to stay home, using differentiated approaches.

9- Establish means of communication between homes and health care authorities, for persons with respiratory symptoms and the control of transmission sites, via telephone and electronic messages.

10- Establish as mandatory in all public places, workplaces and schools, the disinfection of hands with a 0.1% sodium hypochlorite solution, for persons wishing to access these sites.

11- Temporarily suspend plans for vacations and ending missions for personnel participating in cooperative efforts abroad, associated with all Central State Administration agencies.

(Source: Granma)