The impact of water contamination in Ibagué from a geopolitical and public health

perspective.
Access to clean and safe water is a fundamental element for public health and the well-being
of a community. In the case of Ibagué, water contamination has become a critical problem
that affects not only the health of its inhabitants but also its position in regional geopolitics. I
will analyze the impact of water pollution in Ibagué from a geopolitical and public health
perspective,
Water Pollution in Ibagué: A Critical Challenge.
Geopolitics and the Water Crisis in Ibagué
From a geopolitics perspective, it is essential to understand how political factors. Access to
potable water is a strategic resource in regional geopolitics. Ibagué, in its position as the
capital of Tolima and the Public Health Impact. Lugones B (2012)
Water contamination in Ibagué has a direct impact on public health. The population faces
risks of transmitted diseases.
The El Sillón creek through which the sewage canals run.

Causes and Human Health Impacts: Explain the causes and human health impacts of the
chosen problem. Contaminated water and poor sanitation contribute to the transmission of
diseases such as dengue and other diarrheal illnesses.

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The dengue

Viral disease transmitted by mosquitoes.

Those who become infected with the virus a second time have a significantly increased risk
of developing more severe disease. Symptoms include high fever, rash, and muscle and joint
pain. In severe cases there may be profuse bleeding and shock, which can lead to death.
Most people who get dengue have no symptoms. When they do appear, they usually include
high fever, headache, and pain in other parts of the body, nausea and skin rash. In most cases,
the person is cured within one to two weeks, but sometimes the disease becomes severe and
requires hospitalization.
In severe cases, dengue can be fatal.
You can reduce your risk by protecting yourself from mosquito bites, especially during the
day.
Dengue is treated with pain-relieving drugs, but at present there is no specific treatment.
Periago, MR y Guzmán, MG (2007).
Symptoms
In most cases, dengue causes mild or even no symptoms and is cured in one to two weeks,
but in rare cases it becomes severe and can cause death.
When symptoms appear, they usually do so 4 to 10 days after infection and last 2 to 7 days.
They may include:

- high fever (40 °C/104 °F)

- severe headache
- pain behind the eyes
- muscle and joint aches
- nausea
- vomiting
- enlarged lymph nodes and rash.

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People who are infected a second time are at greater risk for worsening of the disease.
Symptoms of severe dengue fever usually occur when the fever disappears. They are as
follows:

- severe abdominal pain

- persistent vomiting
- rapid breathing
- bleeding from the gums or nose
- tiredness
- agitation
- vomiting or bloody stools
- severe thirst
- pale, cold skin
- general weakness

People with these symptoms should be seen immediately.

After healing, the person may feel tired for several weeks.

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Epidemiology of dengue in Colombia
In the national territory, with adequate environmental conditions for dengue transmission, it
is estimated that there is a population at risk of 23,932,381 people, mainly in the municipal
capitals 16. 50% of the accumulated burden of the disease in the country in the period 1999-
2010 is persistently focused on 18 endemic municipalities, where there are 10,079,686 people
at risk of becoming ill and dying from severe dengue. In addition, the population at risk in the
53 municipalities that concentrate 70% of the burden in the same period is 14'971,081
inhabitants. Since its re-emergence in the 1970s, and the emergence of the severe form in the
1990s, dengue transmission has intensified and shown a wide geographic expansion
throughout the Colombian territory located at an altitude of up to 1,800 meters above sea
level. This phenomenon has become more evident during the first decade of the current
millennium, when there was an increasing trend in the number of municipalities reporting
cases of dengue annually, from 390 endemic municipalities reporting cases in 1999 to 743
municipalities in 2010, which constituted an increase of 90.5% in the expansion of dengue
transmission. (Figure 2.2) General morbidity due to dengue fever in Colombia During the
period 1978-2010, a cumulative total of 1,020,637 cases of dengue fever were officially
registered in the country. This represents an annual average of 30,928 cases and a median of
22,072 new cases of dengue (Table 2-1). Since the appearance of the complicated form of
dengue fever in the country between 1990 and 2010, the proportion of severe dengue fever
has averaged 7.4% of dengue morbidity. Gustave, K. (2006).

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Epidemic transmission of dengue During the period 1971-2010, major dengue epidemics
were recorded in Colombia. The main dengue epidemics recorded in the country occurred in
the years 1971-1972, 1975, 1977-1978, 1983, 1987, 1987, 1990, 1990, 1993, 1993, 1995,
1998, 2001-2002, 2005 and 2009-2010 (Figure 2-5). The largest historical epidemic ever
recorded in the country occurred between October 2009 and November 2010. Following the
re-emergence of dengue transmission in the national territory since the second half of 1971-
1972, the first explosive epidemic occurred on the Colombian Atlantic Coast, caused by
serotype DENV-2, and it is estimated that about 450,000 cases occurred, corresponding to an
attack rate of 22%, which affected the main cities of the Caribbean Coast 19. In 1975, an
outbreak of dengue caused by serotype DENV-3 occurred in the interior of the country. It is
estimated that approximately 200,000 cases of dengue occurred during this epidemic.
Serological studies were carried out in populations of the Magdalena River valley, and found,
for example, in Armero (Tolima) and Útica (Cundinamarca), attack rates in the population of
24 and 51%, respectively, so it is estimated that the volume of the population that was
probably affected in the country was greater than 400,000 people. Martínez, E. (1995).

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 Conclusions and Recommendations

Water contamination in Ibagué is a complex problem with geopolitical and public health
implications. To effectively address this crisis, coordination between governmental actors,
the community, and private companies is essential. Some recommendations include:
Prioritize investment in water treatment infrastructure and sanitation systems.
Promote public education and awareness of the importance of water and its impact on health.
Promote cooperation between local, regional, and national authorities to ensure equitable
access to water.
Resolving the water crisis in Ibagué will not only improve the quality of life of its
inhabitants, but also strengthen its position in regional geopolitics by ensuring sustainable
access to this fundamental resource.
Water contamination in Ibagué is a complex problem that goes beyond local borders.
Geopolitics and public health are intrinsically linked in this context.

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 Bibliografía
https://www.minsalud.gov.co/sites/rid/Lists/BibliotecaDigital/RIDE/INEC/INV/Dengue
%20en%20Colombia.pdf
Gustavo, K. (2006). El dengue, un problema creciente de salud en las Américas. Revista
Panamericana de Salud Pública, 19, 143-145.
Lugones Botell, M., & Ramírez Bermúdez, M. (2012). Dengue. Revista Cubana de Medicina
General Integral, 28 (1), 123-126.
Martínez, E. (1995). Dengue y dengue hemorrágico: aspectos clínicos. Salud pública de
México, 37 (Su1), 29-44.
Periago, MR y Guzmán, MG (2007). Dengue y dengue hemorrágico en las Américas. Revista
Panamericana de Salud Pública, 21 (4), 187-191.