Resumen

BARTOLOME LECHA ESTELA, Luis; CIOMINA DE CARVAJAL, Elena; ESTRADA MORENO, Alejandro  y  GOMEZ ACOSTA, Elba Caridad. Biometeorological forecasts: a way of reducing occurrence of health crises. The Sagua La Grande case. Rev Cubana Salud Pública [online]. 2008, vol.34, n.1, pp. 0-0. ISSN 1561-3127.

There has been a rise of medical service provision in Cuba and the country shows health indicators comparable to those of the most developed nations. A new procedure that will be useful for continuos improvement of the Cuban population´s health is being worked out. It refers to the biometeorological forecast method aimed at providing health institutions and emergency services with early and timely information about the prevention and treatment of some non-communicable chronic diseases with high incidence in the country. Such a method can alert to favorable conditions for unleashing health crisis up to 180 hours in advance on the basis of the changes of partial air oxygen density within 24 hours, the type of prevailing synoptic situation and the local effects of the environmental pollution. In order to validate the results of these forecsts, a pilot study is being conducted from December 1st, 2006 in health centers located in Sagua La Grande municipality, which monitors daily occurence of several diseases and their association to sudden weather changes. The diseases under study were bronchial asthma, cardiovascular diseases, strokes, hypertension, headaches and some types of acute respiratory diseases. The preliminary satisfactory results of the operation of this biometeorological forecast service in health centers located in Sagua la Grande municipality during the little rain period (winter) from 2006 to 2007 were shown

Palabras clave : Biometeorology; forecasts; human health.