Characteristic hoarse voice Fernando Simon became a constant sound on our televisions during the times coronavirus pandemic. Every day director Health and Emergency Alert Coordination Center The Ministry of Health held a press conference to inform the Spanish people about the pandemic situation. We knew little about him for several years. However, the title epidemiologist again these days in the media, as his Center will be responsible for coordinating any infectious outbreak that may arise due to floods DANA from Valencia.
During the pandemic he was very controversial. While many people revered him and even wore T-shirts or mugs with his face on them, many others criticized him for not being able to predict what would happen. He said that in Spain the pandemic would result in at best a few isolated cases. But the reality is that no one knew what would happen.
He called for calm, citing the situation at that particular moment when the virus had not yet spread too much. The same thing happens with pandemics as with meteorological phenomena. They need to be followed day by day because they are unpredictable in the long term. Therefore, he did not make a mistake that other people would not make. And he showed that he is a good epidemiologist. That’s why he remains director Health and Emergency Alert Coordination Center (CCAES) whose role after DANA is important again.
Why do we need Fernando Simon?
We have already seen that after the DANA flood in Valencia, many pathogens could multiply in the water. Therefore, it is expected that cases of diseases such as leptospirosis, legionellosis, hepatitis A or a large number of gastrointestinal diseases. It is also possible that cases of tetanus may occur due to wounds becoming infected during cleaning.
The good news is that the vast majority of these diseases are not transmitted between people. Some can do this, but it is very rare. However, it is necessary to monitor the situation to prevent an epidemic from occurring, and if it does occur, to nip it in the bud before it spreads.
This is the role of CCAES. This time, given that the epidemic has not actually been detected, we will not see Fernando Simon every day on television. However, even if we don’t see his work directly, he and his team will be very aware of what is happening in Valencia.
(Wikimedia Commons)
It won’t be a visible face
Although Fernando Simon continues to be director of CCAES and may well be involved in monitoring measures, the man who came to Valencia as director of CCAES to carry out the first investigations was Maria Jose Sierra.
His name may be familiar to us because he was the one who replaced Fernando Simon at press conferences on the pandemic when he himself contracted COVID-19.
This time we know that Fernando Simon is on vacation even before the DANA exhibition took place in Valencia. For this reason, Sierra serves as the director of the center.
Both have proven themselves to be good epidemiologists, and undoubtedly the work of their team will be essential to ensure that there is no need to fear further complications after the terrible floods that occurred in there are so many cities in Valencia.
Source: Hiper Textual
