Dengue del viajero: enfermedades tropicales fuera de los trópicos en Bolivia / Traveler's dengue tropical diseases outside the tropics in Bolivia

INTRODUCCIÓN: la ocurrencia de enfermedades tropicales fuera de los trópicos tienen carácter prioritario en la prevención de enfermedades infecciosas emergentes en la salud boliviana del siglo XXI. OBJETIVO: evaluar en la ciudad de La Paz la presencia de Enfermedades Tropicales Desatendidas con énfasis en Dengue, desafiando la visión tradicional de que su presencia está restringida a áreas tropicales. MATERIALES Y MÉTODOS: estudio descriptivo, transversal, retrospectivo, de noviembre de 2012 a febrero de 2013 en 876 pacientes que acudieron por derivación o iniciativa propia al consultorio recién implementado de Medicina Tropical en el Instituto Nacional de Laboratorios de Salud (INLASA) en la ciudad de La Paz. RESULTADOS: en 4 meses de atención se realizaron los exámenes clínicos de especialidad al total de pacientes provenientes de 6 departamentos, dando como resultado que 44 presentaban síndrome febril; con apoyo de los exámenes de laboratorio generales y específicos solicitados, se concluyó que 34 padecían dengue, 3 malaria por Plasmodium vivax, 1 leptospirosis y 3 con etiologías de origen bacteriano. CONCLUSIÓN: en la ciudad de La Paz existe una presencia significativa de casos de Patologías Tropicales, principalmente dengue y malaria, por lo que el sistema de salud debe considerar la necesidad de servicios de atención específicos para estas patologías, con el fin de brindar atención oportuna a estas enfermedades cada vez más prevalentes en la zona andina del país(AU)

INTRODUCTION: the occurrence of tropical diseases outside the tropics is a priority in the prevention of emerging infectious diseases in Bolivian health for the XXI century. OBJECTIVE: evaluate in La Paz city the presence of Tropical Diseases, with an emphasis on Dengue, defying the traditional vision that their presence is restricted to tropical areas. MATERIALS AND METHODS: from November 2012 to February 2013, a descriptive, cross-sectional, retrospective study was carried out in 876 patients who came by referral or on their own initiative to the recently implemented Tropical Medicine clinic at the National Institute of Health Laboratories (INLASA) in the city of La Paz. RESULTS: in 4 months of care, specialty clinical examinations were performed on all patients from 6 departments, resulting in 44 presenting febrile syndrome; With the support of the general and specific laboratory tests requested, it was concluded that 34 suffered from dengue, 3 from Plasmodium vivax malaria, 1 from leptospirosis, and 3 from etiologies of bacterial origin. CONCLUSION: in the city of La Paz exists a significant presence of Tropical Pathologies cases, mainly dengue and malaria, so the health system must consider the need for specific care services for these pathologies, in order to provide timely care for these increasingly prevalent diseases in the Andean area of the country(AU)

Visceral Leishmaniasis in Bolivia: Current Status

Abstract INTRODUCTION In Bolivia, before 1982 there were no records of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) cases that would allow us to review and describe the temporospatial occurrence of VL by ecoregions in provinces and departments of Bolivia to evaluate its impact on public health, risk of outbreaks, or dispersion. METHODS This update on VL in Bolivia is based on research, reviews, and retrospective literature analyses of online data and libraries and institutional reports, from 1939 to the present. RESULTS In Bolivia, 56 cases of VL have been reported. Until 2014, only three endemic departments had been identified (La Paz, Santa Cruz, and Tarija). Since then, further cases have been recorded in Pando, Cochabamba, and Beni, and in Chuquisaca in 2015. In Yungas, a VL focus was confirmed by isolating and comparing parasites from human and dog cases, and from the Lu. longipalpis vector. VL cases from seven departments, involving 12 different ecoregions were located within the Amazon and Plata basins. CONCLUSIONS We confirmed that dogs are its primary reservoir, and Lutzomyia longipalpis is its main vector (currently dispersed in six departments). The primary vectors in areas where Lutzomyia longipalpis is absent are Migonemyia migonei and Lutzomyia cruzi.