What is the name of the discomfort that you run away from at the beginning of spring? a neighbor asked my mother, and she, after hearing me give the same answer to several people these days, gave her the traditional name in the center of the island: bobo de mayo.
The lady frowned contemptuously, and my mother suggested that she was waiting for a more scientific answer (I had bobo effects, which also causes disgust and heartburn), so she came to ask me for a serious name and possible remedies for her problem. control.
When he returned to talk to her about EDA (acute diarrheal disease), the woman was no longer standing at the door, and another neighbor monopolized the conversation, convinced that her nephew and others in his company were suffering from the same disease.
It enters through the mouth!,” the veteran explained, and she remembered that her grandmother boiled water after every rainstorm in May, even if it came chlorinated from the water supply, because the springs stir, and with this heat, many bacteria indulge in reproduction.
In any case, no one dies from it, a passing friend said derisively, and then I had to clarify that yes, diarrhea is the third leading cause of natural death in the world due to the level of dehydration it causes, and although in Cuba it is not significant factor of mortality, they cause many problems of absence from classes and work.
In addition to the inconvenience caused by the urgent need for a toilet (worse if there is no one nearby or someone is already in a hurry), this is a health problem that can very easily get out of hand. And yes, I mean it literally, because it’s very easy to get infected with these pathogens due to improper food handling or poor hygiene for whatever reason.
The recent pandemic has shown how little we (most) take care of ourselves in this way, and the irresponsibility of those who sell French fries, bread and other consumer goods.
Right on the street, apart from soft drinks and juices prepared with tap water, and the arsenal of excuses used by canteens (public and private) to wash with detergent or wipe down tables and counters with non-aseptic rags.
The worst thing about this business is that it starts in May, but can last until the end of the summer. With more frequent rains (and I hope they will), the water table rises and drags back many of our bad decisions: garbage on the streets, technical sewers and water networks without sufficient distance, unmaintained pits, polluted rivers, garbage dumps. for attackers…
Laugh at farts if you like, eat what they sell you without a lid in the corner, drink unpurified water, get in and out of public transport without resorting to gel or alcohol, take care of children without washing your hands …
After all, life and courage are his, it’s true. But then don’t ask why the inconvenient and dangerous EDA was dubbed the Fool of May.
Source: Juventud Rebelde