2024-09-22 02:18:45
According to the most recent report from DANE, deaths associated with acute intestinal and respiratory infections continue to increase in Colombia.
Between January and July of this year, 160,523 non-fetal deaths have been recordedwhich represents a 1.9% increase compared to the same period last yearOf these deaths, ischemic heart disease remains the main cause, however, intestinal and respiratory infections are showing a worrying growth.
As for intestinal infectious diseases, 989 deaths have been recorded between January and July 2024.which means an increase of 26.8% compared to the same period in 2023, when 780 cases were reported. The most affected departments include Tolima, with an alarming increase of 115%, Bolívar (105.6%), Cundinamarca (55.5%), Antioquia (46.8%) and Boyacá (46.2%). This trend has been on the rise since 2022, when an increase of 17.2% in deaths from this cause had already been recorded.
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On the other hand, Acute Respiratory Infections (ARI) have also shown a significant increase. During the first seven months of 2024pr, there were recorded 7,278 deaths from ARI, 11.6% more than in 2023. Detailed analysis indicates that, following the pandemic, pneumonia has once again become the main cause of death from these infections, accounting for 86.5% of cases. In addition, deaths from influenza have increased by 87.5%, from 136 cases in 2023pr to 255 in 2024pr. Antioquia (979), Bogotá (784) and Valle del Cauca (742) are the departments with the most deaths from these causes.
The growth of respiratory infections has been particularly pronounced in the Afro-Colombian, Afro-descendant, black and mixed-race population, with an increase in deaths from 185 cases in 2023pr to 203 in 2024pr.
Challenges in the fight against infectious diseases
Although the country has managed to meet the CONPES target for reducing HIV mortality, with less than 5.3 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants since 2019, there are regions that still have figures above this target. Quindío (10.3), Risaralda (9.9) and Valle del Cauca (6.7) continue to report high HIV mortality rates.
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