Some Latin American
Countries Have Suspected Swine Flu Cases
Colombians Honor Cuban Revolution
China, Latin America Business Summit in
Bogota
Near 3000 Brazil Labor
Deaths a Year
Some Latin American
Countries Have Suspected Swine Flu Cases
A number
of Latin American countries now have cases
of suspected swine flu, health officials
reported Tuesday.
The Brazilian Health Ministry said that so
far 20 suspected cases of swine flu have
been reported in eight states, including two
in Rio de Janeiro. The only region of Brazil
without any suspected cases is the Midwest,
the ministry said.
Argentina health authorities said they are
studying 11 possible cases of swine flu,
which was first detected in Mexico. Among
the afflicted were a couple from Mendoza
province, a doctor from Rio Negro and a
three-member family from Cordoba province
that had recently visited Mexico.
In Mexico, more than 150 people are thought
to have died from the new virus and
thousands sickened. Around 100 cases have
been confirmed worldwide and the number is
inching higher.
Venezuela on Tuesday reported its first
three suspected cases of swine flu, which
has now been found in a number of other
countries, including the U.S., Canada,
Israel, New Zealand, Australia, Britain,
Germany and Spain.
The Venezuela patients, who had traveled to
Mexico on April 24, have been isolated in a
Valencia hospital, about 158 kilometers from
Carcas, and were being tested, state health
officials said.
Maria Julia Munoz, the Uruguayan public
health minister, said that authorities were
analyzing one case of suspected swine flu
from a Uruguayan who had visited Mexico.
"The patient is under observation. Although
he is a suspected case, he has few symptoms
to be swine flu," Munoz said, "We are going
to study his samples and if we can not
confirm, they will be sent to the U.S."
Forty-two people in Colombia are under
observation after showing symptoms of swine
flu, said Social Protection Minister Diego
Palacio.
"We have 42 patients who are being observed,
but the fact is that it is just an
anti-epidemic measure. Only four among them
really need to be worried about," Palacio
said.
Colombian Health Secretary Hector Zambrano
said 18 patients are under observation in
Bogota, the capital city of the country.
Cuba, which along with Argentina has banned
flights to Mexico, is free of swine flu,
said Luis Estruch, the vice minister of
Cuban Hygiene, Epidemiology and
Microbiology.
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