CIRAH celebrates 25 years treating ataxias in Holguín, Cuba
- Written by Lourdes Pichs Rodríguez
- Published in Health
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The Center for Research and Rehabilitation of Hereditary Ataxias (CIRAH) Carlos J. Finlay, in Holguín, only one of its type in the world, celebrates its 25th anniversary with notable results in both medical care and scientific research.
It highlights the awards delivered to this health institution attached to the Lucía Íñiguez Landín Clinical and Surgical Hospital in this eastern province, as well as the scientific research carried out by CIRAH specialists in collaboration with internationally renowned foreign entities, such as the Autonomous University of Mexico and the University of Frankfurt, Germany.
This entity of the Ministry of Public Health (Minsap) was created in March 2000 to address the health problem posed by Hereditary Ataxias, particularly Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 2 (SCA2), which has a high prevalence in Cuba, especially in Holguín, where the predominance rate of the mutation exceeds 180 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.
Dr. Luis Velázquez Pérez, a researcher on this hereditary degenerative disease, noted that "Its benefits in rehabilitation, predictive testing, clinical trials, and epidemiological, clinical, molecular, electrophysiological, paraclinical, and immunological research have transcended Cuba's borders, and CIRAH has become an international benchmark."
"We have trained over a hundred specialists in different areas of knowledge and have published more tan 400 works. We have also won international and national awards and established strong international collaboration with Germany, Spain, Canada, the United States, and Latin America, which has spread to the country through the Cuban Ataxia Network and to the Pan-American region through PAHAN."
CIRAH, created at the request of Commander in Chief Fidel Castro, has as its main objective the development of scientific research related to hereditary ataxias, aimed at finding a therapy to modify the course and severity of SCA2 ataxia. It also provides medical care to improve the quality of life of affected families and contribute to the academic training and development of researchers, technicians, and other professionals in the field of hereditary ataxias.
Currently, this center also provides medical care to patients with Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, and other neurological and non-neurological conditions, assisting thousands of people with multidisciplinary teams composed of specialists in neurology, psychiatry, physical therapy, physical therapy, speech therapy, rehabilitation, and natural and traditional medicine and yoga.
