Due to a national shortage, there is a shortage of vaccines against human rabies in Puebla – Puebla

Due to a shortage registered at the national level, in Puebla there is a shortage of anti-rabies vaccines for people, confirmed the Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS), through its Communication field.

In the last few weeks, users have gone to both institutional units and hospitals and public health centers that serve the population without right, without finding doses that can be to give them.

It is important to remember that the anti-rabies vaccine for humans is also not available in the private sector.

The IMSS confirmed to La Jornada de Oriente that the vaccine was not enough, but said they did not know why it is being presented in all countries.

You can read: Health Secretary acknowledges rabies vaccine shortage; The problem is national, he clarified

They said that if a person cannot find it in a clinic or hospital, assistance is requested from other units where there are specific doses to be given.

One of those in this situation is clinic 55 in Amalucan, where patients with dog bites have arrived, but have not been vaccinated because they do not have the biological vaccine.

It is worth saying that the inadequacy also reaches hospitals like those in the south and north of the capital of Puebla.

In fact, when they visited the second one, they confirmed that they do not currently have the biological vaccine and that the person who needs the anti-rabies vaccine must go to jurisdiction number 6, located up to the road that goes. to Valsequillo to see if he is there or if they can find him.

In other health centers in towns in the metropolitan area, such as Xoxtla, they said that they don’t have the biological one either and it won’t be until March before it arrives, both for people and animals.

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La Jornada de Oriente sought an official position from the Ministry of Health (Ssa) on the shortage registered in the entity, the answer was, as soon as they had the information they would send it to this publishing house, which did not happen. until now.

During the hot season when cases of rabies in animals, such as dogs (which cause 99 percent of human rabies cases worldwide), tend to increase, as it is at the one time with reproductive cycles and because they are in greater contact, there is more spread. the virus.

However, the danger to people is present at any time of the year, like the current one.

The effectiveness of a vaccine decreases the longer it takes to give it

After a person has been bitten by an animal (dog, cat, bat, rat, squirrel, skunk, fox, coyote) with suspected rabies or has not been vaccinated, and is confirm that the biological antiviral is rabies, five doses should be applied. The first should be on day zero, that is, on the day of the attack, because although it can be done the next day, the biological effectiveness decreases, said the doctor Miguel Ángel Uriarte Serrano.

The second must be on the third day, the third on the seventh, the fourth on the fourteenth day and the last one on the twenty eighth day.

At the same time, the patient must be monitored for at least eight days to confirm that he does not show signs of rage, such as changes in behavior, withdrawal, aggressive excitement, restlessness, lack of motor coordination , photophobia, progressive pharyngeal paralysis, difficulty swallowing and in some cases, tremors and foaming at the mouth, which can cause death.

“What would happen if I didn’t get the vaccine today? I can apply it the next day, the patient is not in danger, in this case it will only reduce the effectiveness of the vaccine; The patient must be examined for at least eight days and must also not show any signs of rabies. Even if the vaccine was not applied on day zero, it must be applied the next day, however,” he said.