Health denies tuberculosis outbreak in Ceuta and reinforces care for migrants

The Secretary of State for Health, Javier Padilla, has denied that a tuberculosis outbreak has been detected in Ceuta and has assured that there is none "neither now nor since July 30" and has described as "new hoax" the information that points to the existence of an outbreak. In this context, the National Institute of Health Management (INGESA) maintains the special health device active to care for the migrant population in the autonomous city and in the last two days Primary Care and Specialized Care have recorded a total of 342 attendances, with 11 hospitalized.

As reported by INGESA in a statement, its External Catastrophe Plan of the University Hospital of Ceuta is still activated at Level 1 (it has 3 levels) since July 31.

This level corresponds to a scenario in which the health center can still respond to the situation with the resources it has available without needing an increase in personnel or material resources.

The organization continues to distribute care among the different care devices to avoid the concentration of patients in a single point, so that at the University Hospital of Ceuta 116 attendances were recorded in the Emergency Service.

The total number of assistance to the migrant population corresponding to the last day was 226 in Primary Care and 116 in Specialized Care. Within the framework of the device, 20 ambulance transfers have also been carried out.

At the University Hospital of Ceuta, 11 migrant patients currently remain hospitalized, two in the Obstetrics area, one in Neonatology, three in the Surgical Area and five in Medical Hospitalization. At 9:00 a.m. this Saturday, the Ceuta University Hospital has 204 beds, of which 107 are occupied (52.4%) and 97 remain free (47.5%).

For his part, the Secretary of State for Health has explained through a message in As he noted, in this device "no suspected cases of tuberculosis have been detected."

In this sense, Padilla recalled that tuberculosis is transmitted in closed environments and that it is "very difficult" for it to be transmitted in an open space such as a beach.

Furthermore, he explained that to speak of a tuberculosis outbreak, at least two related cases are needed and he assured that in that place and at this time "not even one" that could be used to start it has been detected. He has also indicated that surveillance efforts have been reinforced to detect a situation of this type.

Padilla has also pointed out that during these weeks five cases of tuberculosis have been detected, but he has specified that they came from previous diagnoses and treatments.