23 boarding school students in Guaviare have symptoms of malaria or severe dengue

In the last few hours, it became known that a health emergency is taking place in the Mocuare boarding school, located in the village of the same name and eight hours by river from the municipality of San José del Guaviare.

Teachers at this school, in which sixty minors are studying, reported that 23 children developed symptoms such as headache, seizures, high fever and flu. In addition, as reported to Caracol Radio, some started bleeding from the nose, which could indicate that it is hemorrhagic dengue or malaria.

18 of these children with symptoms are students belonging to the jiw ethnic community, four are mixed race and one more is the daughter of a teacher who works in the same school. Twenty of those affected are affiliated with the health service providers (EPS) Capital Salud and Nueva EPS.

According to statements delivered to the local media, Marandúa Estéreo, by the rector of the institution, Merardo Castro, the 13 minors affiliated with Nueva EPS were transferred to the ESE of San José del Guaviare. It was 12 hours on the river since 5 in the morning.

The medical report confirms that the children arrived with high temperature and difficulty breathing. The precise diagnosis is still unknown, but they are all under observation to decide whether they will be hospitalized or not.

Seven more children, who are members of Capital Salud, an entity that does not have coverage in the department of Guaviare, had to be taken by river to the municipality of Mapiripan, in Meta, to receive medical assistance.

Teachers at Mocuare boarding school have two concerns. One is the health condition of three more students, who do not have EPS and were not received in either of the two health centers. The other is that some teachers separated themselves from their duties to accompany minors and hands are needed in boarding school.

The Guaviare regional prosecutor, Michael Steven Torres, issued a letter to the Department's Ministry of Health to demand the immediate transfer of children who are ill and are still in Mocuare, protected by Law 1952 of 2019, which requires care in vital emergency care centers.

However, the department's Secretary of Education, Luis Carlos Granados, said that a health brigade will be held this weekend to review the health conditions of the rest of the 60 children who are still in detention in Mocuare, in addition to making an additional stop in Corocoro.

This Tuesday, March 29, the Office of the Attorney General of the Nation hosted a guardianship to protect the rights to food, health, education, equality and human dignity of children and adolescents beneficiaries of the PAE in Guaviare.

The Public Ministry ordered the Government of Guaviare to take all the necessary actions to ensure the provision of the PAE through its Ministry of Education. The complaint says that since the beginning of the 2022 academic calendar, no such service has been provided, due to delays in recruitment.

The Department of Education must also ensure the operation of this program until the last day of the school year, as indicated in the court decision.

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