Fernando Simón, director of the Center for Coordination of Health Alerts and Emergencies (CCAES) returned to the front line with DANA: the The epidemiologist faces the Valencia crisis. The Minister of Health, Mónica García, included it in the public health response coordination group, created to deal with, among other things, epidemics. infectious diseases due to stagnant water in areas affected by DANA.
Actually, The person responsible for coordinating the public health surveillance strategy on the ground in Valencia against DANA will be María José Sierra.since director Fernando Simón is on leave. Sierra is a physician specializing in preventive medicine, public health and epidemiology. His official position is that of sector manager of the Center for Coordination of Health Alerts and Emergencies (CCAES). However, he is currently the highest authority in the Center and the one who coordinates on the ground, with other experts from the Generalitat Valenciana, the work to prevent the epidemic.
Last Monday, the Ministry of Health announced the creation of the public health response coordination group after the Valencia tragedy, created by the DANA which struck Valencia on October 29. It is composed of experts in public health and epidemiology from the General Directorate of Public Health of the Generalitat Valenciana, the Center for Coordination of Health Alerts and Emergencies (CCAES), the General Directorate of Public Health of the Ministry of Health, from the Spanish Medicines Agency and Carlos III Institute.
This the group designs protocols for the early detection of cases of infections with epidemic potential from torrential waters. In this case, they will study the water and sludge mixed with wastewater.
This Sunday, the President of the Generalitat Carlos Mazón This Sunday, he corrected the Minister of Ecological Transition Teresa Ribera. Mazón recommended drinking bottled water after the socialist government demanded that it be consumed boiled. Mazón responded to the Ministry of Ecological Transition on social networks, after warning that water had to be boiled for consumption in 60 municipalities affected by DANA in the province of Valencia. In total, 600,000 people in 78 municipalities were left without water supply after DANA. There are 7,000 people who still have no water in their homes and warnings have also been issued about the mud DANA-affected neighbors are living in. Part of this sludge comes from the withdrawal of essentially agricultural land. However, there is another one that is mixed with wastewater. There are 122 sewage treatment plants that are not working and there are also problems with the sewage system.
Mónica García recovered Fernando Simón last January, before the DANA tragedy. Then, the Minister of Health, Mónica García, recalled him to his closest team of collaborators as director of the Center for Coordination of Health Alerts and Emergencies (CCAES), as previously reported.
Fernando Simón became a public figure when Pedro Sánchez made him his spokesperson throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.and on which he relied on the so-called technical criteria for some of his political decisions. In January, in the midst of Mónica García’s offensive to reimpose the compulsory wearing of masks in health centers and pharmacies, which all the autonomous communities have rejected except Catalonia, the head of Health counted on the CCAES, a fervent defender of masks, he was the only one in the room to wear one.
During Covid-19, Fernando Simón stood out as a government spokesperson, as previously reported.. He is best remembered for his predictions about Covid-19: there would only be one or two cases. The pandemic has proven them wrong. However, the government of Pedro Sánchez continued to trust this doctor.
