Por Blanca Bonachea 
With the increase in rainfall in Matanzas, acute diarrheal diseases increased. Despite maintaining a stable behavior according to public health parameters, the events of the last few days worry the health authorities of the territory.
According to a report by Dr. María del Carmen Mora Alpízar, from the Provincial Center for Hygiene and Epidemiology, the territory at the close of week twenty-two accumulated close to 33% of care for diarrhea per hundred thousand inhabitants. The municipalities of Cárdenas, Jovellanos, Martí and Colón exceed the indicators of the provincial average.
Given the current contingency, it is necessary for the population to understand the importance of boiling and chlorinating water. It is also important to pay attention to the handling and conservation of the products sold in shops to avoid contamination, explains the specialist.
In children under five years of age and people over 65, the effects that these conditions can cause exceed those of the rest of the population. In the case of children under one year of age, specifically, they must maintain breastfeeding and correct hydration with oral rehydration salts prepared at home.
Factors such as water contamination and poor food hygiene produce bacteria and parasites that directly attack the stomach and intestines. The highest authorities in the province urge the population to use primary health care for symptoms such as fever, abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting, among other ailments. (ALH)
Translated by Casterman Medina de Leon