Costa Blanca

Department of Health recommends the use of masks in healthcare centres

The Ministry of Health has advised health departments in the Valencian Community to recommend wearing masks in health and social care centres. This is a precaution against the rise of respiratory virus infections, which reached 905 cases per 100,000 people in the first week of 2025.

Although the number of respiratory infection cases is lower than last year, which had 1,318 cases per 100,000 people, it is still important to recommend wearing masks in healthcare and social care settings. This applies in these situations: when symptomatic people are in shared spaces, when professionals are caring for symptomatic patients, and for everyone in vulnerable areas like chemotherapy rooms, transplant units, intensive care units, and emergency departments.

The instructions also say that, based on the center’s features and capabilities, there will be internal rules for controlling the spread of respiratory viruses, using masks, and ongoing care. These will follow the guidelines from the Preventive Medicine Service.

The Ministry of Health has given all health departments a plan to manage the rise in cases of Acute Respiratory Infections (ARI). This plan includes strategies to ensure ongoing healthcare during seasonal outbreaks of respiratory viruses. It covers public health advice and measures for organising and operating both primary and hospital care.

The main goal of this plan is to create suggestions and steps related to risk situations based on spread data and the abilities of healthcare centres in the Valencian Health System.

Advice for everyone.

The Contingency Plan states that getting vaccinated for influenza and/or ARI is still very important for preventing ARI. The Ministry of Health reminds everyone that health centres have been offering flu and COVID-19 vaccinations without appointments since November 4th, to encourage more people to get vaccinated.

Since the vaccination program began, the Ministry of Health has given out a total of 1,730,548 doses of flu and COVID vaccines.

Public Health has shared recommendations for everyone to help prevent acute respiratory infections. You can find these tips on the Ministry of Health’s website and social media. Some key suggestions include washing your hands well with soap and water or using hand sanitiser, wearing a mask for those who are most vulnerable, and for anyone showing respiratory symptoms, even if they haven’t been tested positive.

If you have any symptoms, stay away from busy places and avoid socialising where you can’t wear a mask. Also, clean surfaces that people touch often, like door and window knobs, with soap and water or disinfectant.

If you have trouble breathing, a constant high fever, or are in a high-risk group, it is best to listen to healthcare experts and not take antibiotics on your own.

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Missing Persons Association searching for Stiven, 26, who disappeared from Elche

The SOS Missing Persons Association has issued an urgent alert concerning the disappearance of Stiven Manrique Penagos, a 26-year-old man who vanished on April 18, 2025, in Elche, Alicante.

Stiven is of typical build, stands at a height of approximately 1.70/1.72 metres, and has dark brown hair and dark brown eyes. Due to his vulnerability, they have prioritised his disappearance, and they are requesting public assistance to locate him as soon as possible.

The organisation is urgently looking to hear from anyone with any information of his whereabouts.

If anyone has information regarding his whereabouts, please contact info@sosdesaparecidos.es or call 649 952 957 and 617 126 909.

Regarding SOS Missing Persons

Sosdesaparecidos is a non-profit association established in Caravaca de la Cruz that collaborates in the dissemination of information about missing persons of any age whose families do not know what happened or where they are.

The goal of the 32 men and women on the SOSdesaparecidos team is to assist families by utilising their personal and professional experiences.

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Alicante TRAM collected 2,494 lost objects in 2024

Last year, Alicante TRAM passengers lost a total of 2,494 objects, which the Valencian Railways (FGV) collected. This data suggests that passengers abandon an average of seven artefacts daily and 208 objects monthly. These objects are stored at the stations for a minimum of one month and for an additional month in the lost property storage facility at Luceros station. The Alicante Local Police then receive the items if their proprietors have not claimed them after this period.

Wallets and purses, keys, backpacks, documents (ID, passports, driving licences, health cards, etc.), mobile phones, spectacles, folders, umbrellas, and handbags are the items that are seen on trains and trams in Alicante and its metropolitan area the most frequently.

October (442), January (393), November (378), June (366), March (308), April (303), August (296), July (291), May (286), December (276), February (263), and September (199) were the months in which the most items went missing, proceeding with the division by season.

The recovery of an object by its owner while it is registered with FGV amounts to 929, or 37.25%, thanks to the protocols established by FGV for the management and safekeeping of lost objects. The remaining percentage is either handed over to the Alicante Local Police or taken to a recycling centre or green point if the objects are clearly worn or deteriorated.

The time required to retrieve an item is contingent upon the presence of any identifying information or the customer’s claim. When there’s identifying information or a customer’s claim, we often recover the item the same day it goes missing, especially if it’s valuable.

Steps to be taken

In the initial phase, lost property is dropped off and picked up at the stations served by FGV personnel before being transferred to the central office at Luceros station.

After one month, the items are collected and transported to the lost property facility at Luceros station to attempt to identify their owner, deregister them for recycling based on their condition, or deliver them to the Alicante Lost Property Office after an additional month.

They promptly hand over official documents, such as passports and ID cards, to the authorities to determine their owner, then destroy bank cards to mitigate unnecessary risks and prevent tampering. Customer service personnel conduct follow-up and minor investigations to ensure their return to the police.

Amazing objects

In addition to the previously mentioned items, there are several remarkable items that it’s hard to imagine users would overlook. These items include bicycles, scooters, suitcases, crutches, walking sticks, laptops, tablets, baby strollers, shopping carts, motorcycle helmets, portable refrigerators, toiletry bags, umbrellas, hair dryers, X-rays, prescriptions, medical reports, a construction shovel, a shower telephone, and even a toilet seat or fire extinguisher.

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Firefighters rescue hiker after fracturing her leg in fall in Dénia

Members of the Provincial Fire Consortium rescued a 40-year-old woman on Monday, April 21st, on the climb to Cova del Aigua in Dénia after she fractured her leg in a fall while hiking.

The alert was received at around 12:48 p.m., and an Alpha 01 rescue helicopter and the Special Rescue Group (GER) were dispatched to the scene, the Consortium said in a statement.

Since the woman was at a point where the ambulance could not reach due to the terrain, the rescue helicopter was activated with the GER.

Once located, the officers disembarked from the helicopter and brought her back to San Vicente Park, where an ambulance was waiting. The operation ended at 4:04 p.m.