Latin America
Maintains Strict Safety Measures Amid H1N1 Outbreak
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Latin America
Maintains Strict Safety Measures Amid H1N1 Outbreak
Mexico City - L atin
American countries continue to maintain
strict health safety measures though the
A/H1N1 flu outbreak apparently has been
controlled to some extent in the region.
The death toll from the epidemic in Mexico,
hit hardest by the virus, on Friday rose to
16 and another 397 people were infected, the
Mexican government said.
Peru and Costa Rica also have reported
confirmed cases of the flu.
Mexican health officials expressed optimism
Thursday that the spread of the flu has
slowed in the country.
Health Minister Jose Angel Cordova said one
encouraging sign was that the daily number
of people admitted to government hospitals
with flu-like symptoms had fallen from a
high of 212 on April 20 to 46 on Thursday.
The Mexican government, citing medical
analysis, said on Friday that the actual
percentage of fatalities amongst the
country's confirmed cases is only 1.2
percent.
Still, Mexico is keeping a close eye on the
situation and maintains strict safety
measures. During a five-day holiday that
began Friday, all nonessential government
and private business has been shut down.
Mexican President Felipe Calderon also has
urged his countrymen to stay at home and not
go to public places.
In addition, the government has opened a hot
line to offer advice related to the
outbreak. Numerous ambulatory medical
stations also have been built to offer
treatment to people possibly stricken with
the virus.
Mexican authorities late last month approved
an emergency fund of 1.67 billion pesos
(about 116 million U.S. dollars) for medical
supplies and equipment to deal with the
crisis.
Meanwhile, the outbreak has concerned other
Latin American countries. Cuba, Argentina,
Peru and Ecuador all have issued bans on air
traffic with Mexico.
The health ministers of the member states of
the Central American Integration System met
on April 28 in Managua, Nicaragua, and
adopted joint preventive measures to control
the outbreak.
Costa Rica has 129 probable cases and one
confirmed instance of the flu. The cases
prompted President Oscar Arias to issue an
emergency decree ordering everyone in the
country to follow instructions given out by
health authorities.
Earlier Saturday, the World Health
Organization said 15 countries have reported
615 infections with the new flu virus
A-H1N1. |
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