Below is a summary of some prominent issues in Mexico from June 23 to July 7.
ENSANUT 2022: chronic malnutrition, iron deficiency and overweight affect children
The National Health and Nutrition Survey (INSANUT) 2022 revealed that chronic malnutrition, iron deficiency and overweight are the main problems affecting children in Mexico. The report indicates that 12.8% of children under five suffer from chronic malnutrition and 30.6% have iron deficiency. In addition, 37% of schoolchildren and 41% of adolescents are overweight or obese.
During the presentation of the study, Juan Ángel Rivera Dommarco, Ph. D., director of the Center for Research in Nutrition and Health of the National Institute of Public Health (INSP), highlighted the achievements that have been made in terms of health, such as the increase in breastfeeding that went from less than 15% in 2012 to 33.6% in 2022 and the decrease in the consumption of unhealthy foods, which fell from 50% to 40% and commented that there are still significant challenges to avoid eating of ultra-processed products in school-age children and adolescents.
The researcher also emphasized the importance of integrating a package of actions to promote healthy diets in children under five years of age, schoolchildren, and adolescents, as well as promoting physical activity in order to reduce overweight and obesity in these age groups. population. The ENSANUT included information on 1,684 children under 5 years of age, 6,950 schoolchildren, and 5,421 adolescents.
Heat wave leaves 124 deaths and increased cases of diarrhea
During the first 22 days of June, the third heat wave in Mexico caused various health effects. So far in the current hot season, which began on March 19 (week 12) and runs through week 26 (June 25 to July 1), a total of 2,454 cases associated with extreme natural temperatures and 152 deaths, of which 124 are attributed to the third heat wave. Nuevo León is the state with the most deaths associated with high temperatures; of the 152 deaths, 141 correspond to heat stroke and 11 to dehydration, according to the General Directorate of Epidemiology.
While acute diarrheal diseases in children under 5 years of age register 337,519 cases with a cut-off at week 24 (June 11-17); during that period, 14 of the 32 states reported an increase in cases compared to week 23 when 322,169 were recorded. The entities where the cases of acute diarrheal diseases increased in week 24 are: Colima, Tlaxcala, Oaxaca, Yucatán, Aguascalientes, Morelos, Querétaro and Coahuila, according to the Epidemiological Bulletin. Likewise, in Colima identified 1 case of acute diarrheal illness Vibrio choleraewho, upon being treated and studied by local authorities, identified another 2 already asymptomatic cases in the epidemiological fence.
Dengue adds more than 4,000 cases
Until epidemiological week 26, dengue cases totaled 4,400, a figure that represents more than double that reported in the same period of 2022 with 1,778; however, the deaths remain stable when counting 5, with a cut-off at week 26 both in 2022 and in the current one, indicates the Dengue Epidemiological Surveillance Weekly Report. Of the total confirmed cases so far in 2023, 72% are concentrated in Quintana Roo (1,301), Yucatán (730), Veracruz (598), Puebla (274) and Guerrero (260).
As for Zika and chikungunya, the cases have remained stable. Until week 25, 2 cases of Zika virus infection had been reported and none by chikungunya, according to the Epidemiological Bulletin.
Anti-COVID-19 vaccination begins in October
The Undersecretary for Prevention and Health Promotion, Dr. Hugo López-Gatell Ramírez, reported on July 4 that the application of the vaccine against COVID-19 will begin in October along with vaccination against influenza; the biological one will be applied to people over 60 years of age, people with chronic illnesses and pregnant women. Likewise, the undersecretary commented that it is evaluating which vaccines will be used according to the supply scheme; On June 27, in an interview with the media, he predicted that the vaccine Patria be used.[1]
The long-term Management Plan for the control of this disease proposes the integration of vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 in vaccination programs, however, it establishes that bivalent vaccines “are not necessary”.
COFEPRIS alerts for “master’s degrees in cosmetic surgery” and risks from the use of Barmicil
The Federal Commission for the Protection against Sanitary Risks (COFEPRIS) warned about “false master’s degrees” in cosmetic surgery, which are offered by the Institute of Higher Studies in Medicine and the University of Conde, located in Veracruz. He indicated that this type of “degrees” does not authorize health personnel to perform specialized medical procedures. The health authority recalled that only doctors accredited by the National Regulatory Committee of Medical Specialty Councils (CONACEM) can perform aesthetic surgical procedures. In Latin America there is a serious problem of fake plastic surgeons; The Mexican Association of Aesthetic and Reconstructive Plastic Surgery (AMCPER) reported that there are more than 20,000 fake surgeons in Mexico alone.
At the same time, the agency warned about the health risk of indiscriminate use of the drug Barmicil (betamethasone, gentamicin and clotrimazole), topical application cream, since it can cause different adverse reactions, among the most serious, Cushing’s syndrome.
COFEPRIS dismantles drug trafficking network
COFEPRIS dismantled a red of 11 irregular pharmacies in Guerrero, which were located near the General Hospital of Acapulco, The Burned: During the operation, 1,000 pieces of drugs were seized, including controlled drugs, and a vehicle driven by a specialist doctor was detected that was transporting controlled drugs without authorization to leave. After this operation, a vendor and a doctor were arrested; however, one of them has already been released.
This summary reported the National Guard’s seizure of drugs owned by the health sector, which were sent by parcel from Cancun and were destined for Mexico City.
Hepatitis A ruled out in Mexican strawberries
Before him Hepatitis A outbreak that emerged in the US West Coast statesthe National Service for Agro-Food Health, Safety and Quality (SENASICA) assured that no evidence of this pathogen was found in strawberries, blackberries and blueberries produced in Baja California. The agency explained that since 2022 SENASICA specialists have analyzed samples in strawberry-producing companies in that state in which no evidence of hepatitis A had been found until June 21.
In April 2023 the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the United States started the investigation of the outbreak, whose strain of hepatitis A virus is genetically identical to that which caused the outbreak of hepatitis A virus infections in 2022which was linked to fresh organic strawberries imported from Baja California, Mexico.
After protests, Mexico City government holds assemblies
After the protests led by health personnel in Mexico City demanding better working conditions and doubts about the integration of the capital’s health system into the IMSS-Welfare model, authorities of this entity organized informative assemblies in the city’s hospitals to explain the federalization process.
At a press conference, the head of government, Martí Batres, he claimed that with the transition to IMSS-Benestar, the rights and salaries of health personnel are guaranteed; He stressed that it is not a disappearance of the local health system, but that when they are absorbed by IMSS-Welfare there will be a standardization of salaries and basification, although he did not specify in which places.
Ibero-American doctors are more likely to be friends with their patients
Surveys carried out by the different editions of Medscape reveal that 41% of doctors from Argentina, 42% from Spain, 49% from Brazil and 54% from Mexico said they had at some point made friends with their patients. The figures are well above those reported by their colleagues in the United States, France, Germany, Canada and the United Kingdom.
The surveys identify characteristics and challenges of friendships in health professionals of both sexes. Another result indicates that 20% of doctors in Argentina, 25% in Brazil, 26% in Mexico and 30% in Spain state that they are 16 or older, a figure that decreases when asking about “close friends”, where both in Mexico and in Spain only 6% claim to be 16 or over. Most of the doctors surveyed agreed that the main obstacle to establishing close friendships is the lack of time.
Changes in the National Health Card
The promotion of respectful upbringing that protects the mental health of minors and reduces the risk of addiction, warning signs that indicate diarrheal diseases and respiratory infections in children, and a vaccination schedule that includes the hexavalent acellular vaccine, in addition to the triple viral are part of the most significant changes in the National Health Card for girls and boys from 0 to 9 years.
Read more about how doctors celebrate the changes here.
New plate of good eating must be nutritious, sustainable and accessible
In May, the Ministry of Health presented the new dietary guides that include recommendations to generate good eating habits and at the same time promote that the entire chain of both production and consumption of food has less impact on the environment, in addition to being accessible to the entire population. population. Specialists commented to Medscape in Spanish that the new dietary guidelines do not focus on weight loss, but on generating a healthy and sustainable diet and incorporate a gender approach.
The experts warned that among the main challenges facing the implementation of these guides is negotiating with the authorities so that they allocate resources to guarantee their application, as well as reducing the ingredients of animal origin present in a large part of traditional Mexican food and reducing consumption. of ultra-processed foods and sugary drinks deeply rooted in the population.
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2023-07-07 19:01:19
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