1500 pesos! It costs a single dose of the pentavalent vaccine (three are needed) for immunization against five diseases in animals, two of them with a high infestation rate in Artemisa: distemper and parvovirus, corroborated Zuniel Galá Molina, doctor of Veterinary Medicine and Zootechnics, tenant of the Veterinary UEB of Artemisa.
According to him Decree Law No. 31one of the ways in which the State promotes and encourages animal welfare is in the operation of a comfortable health system, which allows veterinary care at all levels, disease prevention and zootechnical management.
But, how to comply with the established? If access to these products is complex in the territory, even at high prices; The veterinary medicine does not cover the demands and there are no close solutions to the problems that affect the adequate control of the animal population in the streets.
Fissures in veterinary assistance
Undoubtedly, the varied and necessary offers exhibited in the pharmacy of the Carlos III veterinary clinic, in the Cuban capital, leaves more than one Artemisa resident baffled, faced with their frustrated possibilities of accessing these drugs in Artemisa.
According to Miguel Sánchez García, general director of the Grupo Empresarial Agropecuario y Forestal (GEAF), “even though all the municipalities in the province have a clinic, the lack of medicines and the scarcity of sanitary material jeopardize the quality and effectiveness of the service”.
Meanwhile, the distances between the state system and the needs of the population are shortened thanks to the flexibility in the new design of self-employment activities, which allow the practice of veterinary medicine in affectionate animals, says Pablo Machín Díaz, chief Department of Animal Health of the Delegation of Agriculture.
In turn, the regulations are in line with what is established in the Resolution 430 of 2021 of the Ministry of Agriculturewhich authorizes imports of products for veterinary use, such as antibiotics, antifungals, antiparasitics and mineral-vitamin supplements, he explains.
Both decisions, put into practice at the UEB Veterinaria Artemisa, contribute to minimizing the lack of medicines and improving the health status of the herds, at a time when the country lacks the essential resources to support the Basic Table of Medicines of Veterinary use, he adds.
However, it is difficult to justify the marked gaps between the options of a single clinic in Havana, compared to the offers of an entire system in Artemisa.
According to Samuel Hernández Miranda, director of the UEB Labiofam, in the territory only two vaccines for the prevention of parvovirus and canine distemper are marketed for veterinary use in affective animals.
“They are generally sold at fairs for a value between 145 and 180 pesos per dose, respectively; as long as we open our veterinary pharmacy in Badón.
“Meanwhile, those interested can go to the headquarters at Calle 33 between 44 and 46, in the main municipality, to access these products and others based on homeopathy.”
The manager clarified that there must be prior coordination between the parties to allow time for the transfer of medicines from the Artemisa refrigerator, since some need refrigeration. It insisted on the sufficient availability of these products in its stores, access to which does not require the use of a medical prescription.
In the territory, the insufficient existence of pharmacies of this type is a weakness. Only, Bahía Honda and Artemisa have these establishments. In the case of the main municipality, it is located outside the urban area, which can be overwhelming for those who require the service, acknowledges Machín Díaz.
through a wide range of imported products / Photo: Otoniel Márquez
While… in the streets
Control of the roaming animal population is essential to curb the spread of diseases between species and keep zoonosis cases low.
In Artemisa, the surveillance of these populations is carried out in areas where the transmission of zoonotic diseases has been detected, said Eiglys Argudín Somonte, provincial director of Hygiene and Epidemiology.
«The species resulting from the focus control are transferred to the observation center where they remain for ten days, to then be given up for adoption once the full recovery of the animal is confirmed.
«Currently, we only have two centers for the care, reception, rescue and rehabilitation of animals, whose operation is designed for the observation of stray animals from control areas of positive foci for rabies.
“At the moment both are disabled awaiting repair and maintenance. One of them, located in San Cristóbal, was affected after the passage of Hurricane Ian, whose rehabilitation actions are approved in the municipality’s economic plan and its execution is expected soon.
“Meanwhile, in San Antonio de los Baños the approval of its repair is pending within the budget plan for next year.”
they live in the streets / Photo: Otoniel Márquez
The scenario, although encouraging, is not far from that found by a team from this weekly that investigated in 2018 the situation of animals that live in the streets. In all this time, the problem of the capture car was not solved either, which does not meet the basic requirements for the management of these populations.
Argudín Somonte clarifies that, despite the difficulties, coordination is being established in the province through the Ministry of Public Health with the provincial leadership of Havana to carry out the necessary actions only in areas of positive focus.
However, the suitability of these institutions must go beyond their healing conception. Pets are often not immune to the costs of migration that the country is experiencing today and when their owners go abroad, they do not find safety in the hands of friends or relatives and run the risk of abandonment and mistreatment. Why not have centers to shelter healthy animals?
It is also time for local governments to take sufficient advantage of the opportunities offered by their portfolios of local development projects, international collaboration or foreign investment, in order to provide an effective solution to a real controversy that is no longer in line with the policy of government.
Laws are created to regulate certain human behaviors and achieve a harmonious coexistence. Animal welfare in Cuba was necessary, but it came with the darkest days of the covid and the intensification of the economic and political aggression of the blockade against the island.
However, there are many factors involved in the construction of this desired ideal state. In Artemisa we have found many loose links that must necessarily unite and add others in pursuit of citizen promotion, awareness and education.
artemiseño is common
find dogs
streets / Photo: Otoniel Márquez