Costa Rica
With Free Treatment For All For AH1N1 Flu
The ministerio de Salud (Costa Rican health
ministry) has declared the AH1N1 flu virus a
matter of “public interest” and ordered the
nation’s medical facilities, both public and
private, to treat AH1N1 patients free of
charge.
“This is one of the timely and rational
measures the government has taken to
safeguard the country’s socio-economic
development, and a demonstration of
commitment to those affected that will help
reduce the impact of the disease,” the
ministerio said in a statement.
Salud officials also secured commitments
from three of the country’s main private
hospitals to not only treat patients free of
charge but also send antiviral medicine from
their pharmacies to other private facilities
and small practitioners.
The medicine used to treat the virus in
Costa Rica is "oseltamivir", available only
from the ministerio de Salud.
Treatment for the new virus should commence
within the first 72 hours, as failure to do
so could lead to complications resulting in
hospitalization and even death, according to
the ministra de Salud, Maria Luisa Avila.
So far there are 25 reported deaths and 755
confirmed cases since the outbreak reached
Costa Rica on April 24.
Most of the fatalities involve the obese,
diabetics and those suffering from asthma,
chronic respiratory and heart conditions.
The AH1N1 virus has almost reached its peak in
Costa Rica, according to Avila, where the
number of cases are expected to decline
sharply over the coming weeks.
Oseltamivir
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Oseltamivir (INN) (pronounced /ɒsəlˈtæmɨvɪr/)
is an antiviral drug that slows the spread
of non-resistant strains of the influenza
virus between cells in the body. It is used
in the treatment and prophylaxis of
Influenzavirus A and Influenzavirus B
infection. Like zanamivir, oseltamivir is a
neuraminidase inhibitor. It acts as a
transition-state analogue inhibitor of
influenza neuraminidase, preventing progeny
virions from detaching from infected cells.
Oseltamivir was the first orally active
neuraminidase inhibitor commercially
developed.
It is a prodrug, which is hydrolysed
hepatically to the active metabolite, the
free carboxylate of oseltamivir (GS4071). It
was developed by US-based Gilead Sciences
and is currently marketed by Hoffmann–La
Roche (Roche) under the trade name Tamiflu. |
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