El Salvador - Number of Zika cases triples - December 9, 2015

[Gert van der Hoek]

Number of Zika cases triples

The ISSS recorded 1,184 suspected cases of Zika. Health reporting is already 864 cases.

9.dic.2015 | 19:01

Suspected Zika cases have tripled in just three weeks after being confirmed the presence of the virus in El Salvador.

Although with different figures, both the Ministry of Health and the Salvadoran Social Security Institute (ISSS) reported a significant increase in cases.

In the latest epidemiological bulletin, the Health Ministry recorded 864 suspected cases across the country, among them are five pregnant. Only the department of San Salvador reported 584 patients.

But the report contradicts the ISSS, already registered 1 184 suspected cases.

Unlike Health, ISSS? Has begun to record cases of Zika from the week of October 31 to November 6, during which reported two patients with suspected zika.

Last week, between November 29 to December 5, the suspected cases handled by the Social Security were 738.

Health deputy director of ISSS, Benjamin Coello, assessed that the difference data can be because there is a slight delay to Health Ministry data. "We're going to date, the Ministry of Health will not climb up on your data. They make reports they have registered with system data, "Coello said.

Coello said there is a threat of a Zika epidemic similar to those that occurred with dengue and chikungunya.

"Because unfortunately here in this country, despite all the efforts made to prevent breeding of mosquitoes, do have risk of an outbreak as there was with chikungunya", he said.