Quito, 3 Dec (EFE).-at least eight children have been killed by an outbreak of rabies in the province of Morona Santiago, in the southeast of Ecuador, by an outbreak of rabies caused by the bite of bats Amazon hematophagous.
So said David Chiriboga, Minister of health during the usual Saturday report by radio and television from the President of the country, Rafael Correa, that it was pre-recorded last Thursday by the participation of the representative at the Summit of the community of Latin American countries and the Caribbean (CELAC), in Venezuela.
CHIRIBOGA said that this type of rabies is a “very serious disease” which can only be prevented with vaccines, if the symptoms have settled in the victims, it is deadly.
He added that the outbreak has been located in three indigenous communities of ethnic Achuar in Taisha, sector which has proceeded to carry out a “massive vaccination” of the settlers.
CHIRIBOGA said that these communities are in the East end of the province of Morona Santiago, near the jungle with Peru, border and they are places of difficult access.
He said are deployed brigades of immunization in the region, but remarked that she stands a “complicated phenomenon”, because several indigenous have opposed, in principle, to receive vaccines, because they prefer to be treated by the shamans of their communities.
However, he noted that in some cases have reached agreements with native to allow vaccination groups and avoid more victims by the bite of the bats.
In addition, he indicated that this type of rabies is “difficult to diagnose” because its symptoms, sometimes confused with disease encefalÃticas.
CHIRIBOGA said that personnel of the Agency for the quality of Agro (Agrocalidad) also develops actions to try to control the attacks of the bats.
On his side, President Correa mourned the death of children and pledged Government assistance to address the outbreak.
The representative explained that this species of bats have in their languages of a narcotic substance, which avoids make their victims feel their bites.
It, said Correa, of an “extremely difficult to treat problem”, also that it has focused on a jungle inaccessible area and where affected communities are dispersed in a large territory.
In September, Agrocalidad reported an outbreak of rinderpest, rage produced by the bite of bats in the same jurisdiction.
On that occasion, the Agency pointed out that the outbreak had been met in a timely manner in the parish Seville Don Bosco, a jungle area where settle farm livestock.
“All actions related to controlling this disease” have been taken, then said Agrocalidad and noted that “is planned the capture and control of populations of bats vampire (desmodus rotundus)”, the bats that had infected cattle in the area. EFE
