Although authorities recognize only five cases of hepatitis A, experts warn that the real number could be higher due to primary consultation with private doctors.
In the municipality of San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas, there is concern about cases of gastrointestinal diseases and even cases of Hepatitis A reported among the population.
The Colegio de la Frontera Sur based in San Cristóbal de las Casas reported that in this year 2024 cases have increased, which has generated concern for researchers due to the rapid spread of these diseases, since these cases have increased. regarding 2023.
“This year it has been reported for the state to date until April 242, which is an increase of 200% or just over 300%, this tells us about an epidemic outbreak due to hepatitis A,” said Héctor Ochoa, ECOSUR researcher.
In this city in the highlands of Chiapas, the neighborhoods where outbreaks of hepatitis A and gastrointestinal diseases have been recorded have been the Lagos neighborhoods of María Eugenia San Juan de los Lagos and María Auxiliadora, where the population has even reported that many of their Children who go to school have gotten sick on at least one occasion.
“In this area there are already diseases, for example, in the school at the EST (Technical Secondary School) but in the houses there are, we already had headaches and diarrhea, and that is why, imagine being smelling this thing,” says Don Eliseo Bermúdez, who has already gotten sick, and who also crosses an open-air canal next to his house.
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Why are they getting sick in San Cristobal de las Casas?
For researchers from El Colegio de la Frontera Sur, the main reason why these diseases are being recorded is due to water contamination, coupled with the fact that the municipal authority is not chlorinating the water, so it reaches homes completely. contaminated.
“The suspicion that the public water supply system in this city and surely in other cities is deficient, that is, we do not have drinking water in the city, there are leaks from part of the excreta disposal network, that is, from the drainage network, and this causes the water sources that supply water to that city to be contaminated,” says Héctor Ochoa, ECOSUR researcher.
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For example, in the Lagos de María neighborhood, there is a stream that regularly never dried up, but in recent years, apart from the fact that it crossed water that came from a hill, it recently began to become contaminated, which caused foul odors and therefore , gastrointestinal diseases began to spread.
“Approximately two months ago, three months, they performed surgery, and at that time I was on a rigorous diet but I started having a very bad stomach, they did tests and it was a bacteria which I attribute to being due to the water, because I didn’t eat. outside, because it was a rigorous diet and the surgery did not come out, so when washing the dishes it was becoming contaminated,” said Cecilia Navarro, who is a resident of this neighborhood and has been affected.
Cecilia Navarro indicated that the water that arrives at her home is gray to brown in color, with bad odors and has even arrived with garbage, which is why they say they are afraid of continuing to get sick due to this situation.
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The contamination of the city’s streams, rivers and tributaries has been worrying because the groundwater from which the water is taken to be pumped and distributed to the population is contaminated.
“The problem is that the outbreak is at its climax and I see few or no control measures, which is why water contamination and these diseases are being recorded,” said Héctor Ochoa, ECOSUR researcher.
Officially, the Ministry of Health of the State of Chiapas has recognized that there are five cases of Hepatitis A registered in this municipality, but for researchers, the cases could be more because the population first goes to a doctor. particular, and those cases are not reported to the health authority.
For this reason, health authorities are urged to implement strategies to bring drinking water to homes, so it is urgent to carry out chlorination in the municipal water system so that cases of gastrointestinal diseases can be reduced.
At the moment the health authorities have not yet reported on the strategies to be carried out.
Source: Milenio
