Babken Pipoyan: Why did the Ministry of Health stay silent about the cases of West Nile virus?

ArmInfo. For the first time in Armenia, the West Nile virus, transmitted from mosquitoes to humans, has been recorded. One person has died, about 20 have been hospitalized, but there is no official information available yet. This information was made public through the media, as noted by Babken Pipoyan, the president of the public organization "Informed and Protected Consumer." "The Ministry of Health not only neglects people's health, but also puts it at risk," notes Pipoyan on his social network page. The expert comes to this conclusion due to the lack of official information regarding the identified cases of West Nile fever infection. "The only news available is the report of the Armenian service of Radio Liberty, which was published on the Facebook page of the National Center for Disease Control and Prevention. There was no other information before or after the report, leading to the belief that the information became public by the journalist's initiative. The Ministry of Health tried to keep it a secret, but it didn't work," notes Pipoyan.

According to him, concealing cases poses a threat to human health, because without information about the symptoms of the disease and preventive measures, the public cannot take preventive measures.  At the same time, as the expert states, raising awareness has nothing to do with spreading panic. The World Health Organization itself emphasizes the role of informing the population as a means of disease prevention. They call for the use of mosquito nets on doors and windows, the use of personal insect repellents, and the wearing of light-colored clothing such as shirts and trousers with long sleeves, etc.  According to Pipoyan, the Ministry of Health is obligated to explain the following: when the first patient with a suspected disease sought medical help; when the disease was diagnosed and by what method (only clinical or also laboratory); why information about registered cases was kept secret and the public was not informed, putting the public at risk; what is the geographic spread of the disease, are there areas where more cases have been registered and where citizens should be more vigilant. West Nile fever is a viral infection that manifests in humans as an acute febrile disease with symptoms of general intoxication, headaches and muscle pain, and in some cases, the development of serous meningitis and meningoencephalitis. The virus typically enters the human body through a mosquito bite.